Christopher Weaver, the director of the D.C. department that manages city property and is overseeing the construction of new homeless shelters across the District, has abruptly announced his resignation in an email to staff, citing “personal matters and obligations.”
In his message, Weaver said tomorrow will be his last day as the head of the Department of General Services, which he’s led since 2015 under Mayor Muriel Bowser‘s administration. A Navy vet with more than 30 years of service, Weaver exits as DGS executes the initial development of seven shelters that will house homeless families, replacing the deteriorating D.C. General facility located near the Stadium-Armory Metro station. The director said his reasons for leaving “do not reflect in any way dissatisfaction with the work of this department.”
District Department of Transportation Deputy Director Greer Gillis is lined up to replace Weaver, according to the Washington Business Journal. In a statement obtained by WBJ, Bowser praised her “many years of planning and management experience and her commitment to the residents of D.C.”
DGS declined to comment further. In recent months, the department has faced scrutiny for its role in ensuring that lead is not in District school water. It also manages D.C.’s public school modernizations, the model for which local lawmakers tweaked before their summer recess to render more equitable.
You can read Weaver’s full resignation memo below:
Team,
I am writing this to all of you with some difficulty and I regret very much that I do not have the ability to provide more notice.
I am telling all of you that I will be leaving as your Director as of this Friday, 12 August. The reasons for my departure are personal and they do not reflect in any way dissatisfaction with the work of this department, and the work of each and every one of you. On the contrary, I believe DGS is a “jewel in the crown” of the City of Washington, DC, and I would expect the high performance and productivity of this team to continue with that spirit in mind. Please don’t be worried about me; I have some personal matters and obligations that I believe will require my undivided attention.
I ask that all of you continue the excellent performance that you are currently exhibiting, and I again do not want my departure to distract or negatively affect what you are doing.
As we say in the Navy, I wish each of you “Fair Winds and Following Seas.” Every one of you has been my Shipmate in the highest and finest context of this traditional Navy term. And once more, “Bravo Zulu” (Well Done) for your professionalism and commitment. You have been, and always will be, my examples of these two important attributes.
Yours aye,
Chris Weaver