Madison public works director resigns less than 1 year on the job

MADISON — Public Works Director David M. Hodge submitted his resignation March 8 after serving in the position since May.

The Mayor and Board of Aldermen accepted Hodge’s resignation during the board’s regular meeting March 16.

Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins-Butler declined to state a reason for Hodge’s resignation and referred the question to him. A message left for Hodge seeking comment for this story was not immediately returned Wednesday.

Hawkins-Butler said the city has had some difficulty in keeping public works directors in the position in recent years.

“When you have somebody that has been public works director for 30 years like Denson (Robinson) was it is very hard to find somebody to fill his shoes,” Hawkins-Butler said, referring to the city’s longtime public works director who retired in 2013.

In the meantime, Hawkins-Butler said an assistant public works director is managing the Public Works Department.

“Billy Dean, who is assisting in that, has been with us 16 years,” Hawkins-Butler said. “We are kind of reorganizing some things in public works.”