Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake introduced Wednesday her choice to run the agency charged with making sure city government is running efficiently.
Sam Sidh will begin his role as CitiStat director Oct. 26.
He replaces Mark Grimes who was fired by the mayor in August after The Baltimore Sun reported serious shortcomings in the agency. She was reportedly “not happy” with Grimes’ performance.
Sidh worked in Gov. Martin O’Malley’s StateStat office for three years; where he became acting director. O’Malley established CitiStat while he was Baltimore’s Mayor.
Sidh said he wants to bring a more business-like atmosphere to the agency and its meetings.
“We define our objectives upfront and we identify our follow up items after the meeting and assign them to specific people so that there is that culture of accountability in place,” he said.
Sidh has worked in the state and city transportation departments since leaving the O’Malley Administration. He called his new job “a great fit for me.”
“It’s going to combine my passion for Baltimore City with my passion with results oriented government,” he added.
Introducing OutcomeStat
The mayor also introduced a companion to CitiStat; OutcomeStat.
CitiStat makes sure everyday government services - like cleaning up alleys and filling potholes--are done efficiently. OutcomeStat will follow long-term quality of life goals in Baltimore; like economic strength, school quality and the health of citizens.
Rawlings-Blake said she wanted to go beyond making sure the government is operating smoothly.
“I’ve always wanted to be bigger than [efficiency] and find a way that we can collaboratively and with accountability to the public move the needle on critical issues,” she said.
The mayor was referring to her administration’s priorities.
Citizens can track whether the city is meeting those priorities through a new website, .
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