"Mayor Adrian M. Fenty tapped a District public school administrator Wednesday to head the Department of Parks and Recreation after the rocky six-month tenure of an acting director who was ultimately rejected by the D.C. Council."
As interim director, Jesús Aguirre will be in place for six months without having to go before the council for confirmation. Fenty (D) said he would decide after that period whether he would nominate Aguirre to be Ximena Hartsock's permanent replacement.
Hartsock, who conducted exit interviews with council members Tuesday, will stay in the Fenty administration as an analyst in the office of City Administrator Neil O. Albert. The council voted 7 to 5 in October not to confirm her as parks chief.
Aguirre's appointment ends one of several feuds between the council and Fenty over what council members see as the mayor's ongoing lack of respect for their authority. After the council rejected Hartsock's nomination, Fenty named her interim director, a move council members considered a backhanded way to override the vote.