PPA Picks Interim Director Following Sexual Harassment Scandal

Clarena Tolson via Twitter.

City official Clarena Tolson will lead the Philadelphia Parking Authority as interim director following the resignation of Vince Fenerty, who was recently discovered to be the subject of two sexual harassment accusations that some board members claim they had forgotten.

The Inquirer reports that the PPA’s six-member board unanimously approved Tolson at a meeting today.

As the city’s deputy managing director for infrastructure and transportation, Tolson is more than familiar with Philly’s streets – and she’s previously served as the city’s streets commissioner as well as its revenue commissioner during the tail end of former Mayor Michael Nutter‘s administration.

“I’ve been a civil servant for three decades now, and at my core I am a servant for the citizens of this city,” Tolson said, according to CBS. “I look forward to the opportunity to create more efficiency, to improve morale and professionalism.”

A PPA spokesperson said Tolson was the only candidate interviewed for the interim position, according to the Inquirer, and she will be considered in a national search to find a permanent director.

The PPA board also approved a new sexual harassment policy during the meeting, though details were not discussed, the newspaper reports. PPA board chairman Joseph Ashdale said today marks a “new chapter for the organization,” according to the Inquirer, after the organization has been heavily criticized for what many see as its inappropriate handling of the sexual harassment accusations against Fenerty.

Tolson will make $223,677 a year in the new position, according to the newspaper.

Follow @ClaireSasko on Twitter.