Pittsburgh City Council is considering a new process for hiring the city’s assistant and deputy directors.

This comes after City Council recently considered legislation that would have required council approval for assistant and associate city directors. Those roles currently do not require council approval at all.

The new measure, something of a compromise between the past requirement and the proposal introduced a few months ago, would require that City Council has the opportunity to interview assistant and deputy directors before they start working. It does not require City Council to formally approve them.

Directors do need to be approved by City Council, a requirement that has been in place.

“I just want the public to know who they are and I want us to know who they are,” Councilman Ricky Burgess said of assistant directors.

Many of them later become directors, he said, and council members often work with them on a regular basis.

“I think it’s important that the public knows who is shepherding what we’re doing,” Councilman Bruce Kraus said.

As Mayor-elect Ed Gainey is set to take office next month, Kraus said he’s already fielding questions from constituents about who will be in the upcoming administration. Interviewing people in these roles, he said, will help him give the public better answers.

Council President Theresa Kail-Smith, Burgess and Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle met with members of Gainey’s administration to discuss the measure as a compromise after considering the prior legislation that would have required formal Council approval.

“The mayor-elect sees the compromise language considered in council today as a positive step forward in this discussion, though there are still procedural details that are being ironed out,” Gainey spokeswoman Tene Croom said.

The measure would not allow new appointees to take on their roles until City Council has had the chance to interview them. That, Councilwoman Deb Gross said, could be “slowing things down” and “gumming up” the process of filling those positions.

Burgess noted that City Council could opt not to interview those people, which would allow them to expedite the process and limit the number of interviews they need to schedule. He also explained that council members who were not interested in interviewing an incoming assistant or deputy director were not required to attend the interview.

The measure comes as City Council has taken steps to strengthen its own power and independence before the new administration takes office. Council also recently moved to hire its own solicitor, rather than relying on legal counsel from the city’s law department, which often reflects the mayor’s views.

Councilman Anthony Coghill said the latest measure is not necessary.

“I think it shows a lack of confidence in the next administration, and I think that’s a bad foot to start off on,” Coghill said.

Kraus said the new procedure isn’t meant to be confrontational or obstructive.

“I want this to be perceived and received in the spirit of genuine cooperation,” Kraus said.

Council advanced the measure in a preliminary vote, meaning it could be ready for a final vote as early as next week. Councilmen Coghill and Corey O’Connor voted against the measure.

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