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BALTIMORE, MD (January 11, 2013)— Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced that current acting director of the Department of General Services, Steve Sharkey, has been select to permanently fill the role of director of the Department of General Services.
"Steve Sharkey is dedicated to finding savings by making our buildings and fleet vehicles more cost-effective and efficient," said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. "He has experience working in CitiStat and many City agencies, and is well-suited to lead this important City agency."
Director Sharkey has served as acting director of DGS since, October 1, 2012 and has worked diligently to improve morale and operating practices in the agency. Since starting, he has implemented DGS Stat, a bi-weekly accountability review with top managers. He has also instituted monthly capital project reviews with project managers.
Sharkey has improved financial tracking measures in the agency, as well. On the fleet side of the operation, He has worked hand-in-hand with the Baltimore City Fire Department to improve daily availability for critical units.
“I'm am very honored to be selected by Mayor Rawlings-Blake to permanently serve City agencies and the citizens of Baltimore as DGS director, " Director Sharkey said. "We will continue to drive results to achieve the mayor's goal of making City government more effective, to use taxpayer dollars more efficiently, and to better deliver services to residents.”
Prior to his work with DGS, Sharkey served as director of special projects in the Baltimore Police Department, which has over 3,300 employees and is the eighth-largest metropolitan police department in the country. Sharkey collaborated with the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to provide Baltimore Police investigators with the ability to listen to real-time jail calls. This investigative tool provides quick intelligence on suspects, arrestees, and their whereabouts. Sharkey also worked to reform the Police Department’s on-call towing program to make it more effective. Sharkey also created and managed bi-weekly departmental overtime meetings to increase commander accountability and decreased overtime usage.
Previously, Sharkey served as the division chief of special services and property management in Baltimore City’s Bureau of Solid Waste, where he oversaw 350 employees and was responsible for a number of programs, including the cleaning of Baltimore’s streets and alleys. In two years of service, Sharkey decreased overtime usage by 40 percent and spearheaded reforms that led to significant declines in time lost due to accidents and unscheduled call-ins. Sharkey greatly improved the effectiveness of operations—this included a 30 percent increase in the number of alleys cleaned per crew each day. He also reorganized the City’s graffiti program to cut costs in half, with no decrease in service.
Prior to joining the Bureau of Solid Waste, Sharkey served as deputy director of Baltimore’s CitiStat program. He started as an intern and rose through the ranks to become deputy director within three years of joining the CitiStat team. During his time at CitiStat, Sharkey was an analyst for nearly every operational agency in the City including the Fire Department, Human Resources, General Services, Water & Wastewater, School Maintenance, ProjectStat, and Solid Waste. During his time at CitiStat, he worked with the Department of General Services to increase right-of-way permit revenue through targeted enforcement.
Sharkey holds a BA in Political Science from McDaniel College and a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). He lives in Locust Point with his wife and daughter.
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