One of Mayor Parker’s top licenses & inspections officials ‘is no longer with the City.’ Her office won’t say why.
The unexpected departure comes two months after the deadly collapse of a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia garage in Grays Ferry.
After taking office in 2024, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker split the Department of Licenses & Inspections into two separate agencies.
On Thursday afternoon, Parker’s administration unexpectedly announced that her appointee to lead one of those two agencies “is no longer with the City of Philadelphia effective Thursday.”
Parker appointed Basil L. Merenda as the L&I commissioner for “Inspections, Safety, and Compliance” in February 2024, at the same moment she split the agency and named Bridget Collins-Greenwald commissioner for “Quality of Life.”
The departure of top city officials are often announced well in advance of their last days. That was not the case for Merenda, and the city declined to explain the circumstances of his exit.
“We do not comment on private personnel/HR matters,” Sharon Gallagher, a spokesperson for the managing director’s office, said in a statement. “We remain laser-focused on L&I ISC’s mission, workforce and the public they serve.”
Perhaps the most high-profile moment of Merenda’s tenure came two months ago when he stood alongside Parker during a news conference at the site of a deadly collapse of a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia garage that was being constructed in Grays Ferry.
Parker noted at the time that the project had all necessary permits for construction and that inspections were up to date. Three ironworkers died in the collapse, which was caused by a precast concrete roof panel crashing onto the garage’s stairwell.
Gallagher confirmed the administration will continue L&I’s bifurcated structure, which Parker established through an executive order in 2024.
Merenda’s division was tasked with overseeing permitting and inspections for construction, building operation, and demolitions in the city.
The city’s politically powerful building trades unions, which played a critical role in electing Parker in 2023, have a keen interest in who holds that job. And Merenda, who was the city’s director of labor under union-friendly former Mayor Jim Kenney, seemed to fit the bill as someone who could be a reliable ally.
Ryan Boyer, who heads the Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council, said Thursday he found out about Merenda’s departure when the Parker administration publicly announced it and did not know why he was let go.
Attempts to reach Merenda were unsuccessful.
Ralph DiPietro, a deputy commissioner in L&I’s quality of life agency, will replace Merenda, according to the administration’s announcement.
“Commissioner DiPietro’s vast experience with the Department, building and inspection background, and work on many recent initiatives will serve well for him to assume the restructured L&I Inspections, Safety, and Compliance Division,” Managing Director Adam K. Thiel said in a statement. “We thank him in advance for his service and leadership during this transition.”
Staff writer Anna Orso contributed to this article.
