The role of Harrisburg mayor might soon be little more than a figurehead.

City Council will publicly interview Miami, Fla.-area resident Ricardo Mendez-Saldivia tonight to fill Harrisburg's chief operating officer post, which essentially is a new mayor position included in the city's fiscal-recovery plan.

The COO will take over Mayor Linda Thompson's role of managing all departments in City Hall and will have final say on how money is spent.

“This was an end run around the mayor,” city Controller Dan Miller said. “If you are the mayor and you don’t have the power to control any of those departments, what powers does [the mayor] have pertaining to day-to-day operations?

“Are they the new mayor? I’m not sure, but certainly it sounds as though this person has a lot of power,” said Miller, who has announced his intention to run for mayor.

Mendez-Saldivia could not be reached for comment.

Thompson’s spokesman, Robert Philbin, insists the COO will not wield more power than the mayor.

Philbin said Mendez-Saldivia would fill the business administrator/chief-of-staff post that has been vacant in the mayor's office since 2010 and that he would answer to Thompson.

“That’s absurd,” Philbin said of whether the COO will essentially be the mayor. “The position is a business administrator/chief of staff. That would be No. 2 to the mayor under the mayor’s direction.”

But the fiscal-recovery plan for the city approved by the Commonwealth Court on March 9 says otherwise.

“The COO will be the chief operating officer of the city and is fully empowered to supervise and direct all employees in the Department of Administration, the Department of Building and Housing, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Public Works and the Department of Parks and Recreation.”

Additionally, neither the mayor nor City Council can fire the COO without approval from the receiver’s office.

The COO will manage the city’s daily operations and Thompson will oversee policy issues, said Steve Kratz, spokesman for the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

If candidate is rejected?

Kratz would not comment on what would happen if the council rejects Mendez-Saldivia for the position, but made a point of reaffirming that the city’s fiscal-recovery plan was confirmed in Commonwealth Court.

And, according to that plan, the COO is in charge of City Hall and will be the one leading the implementation of the receiver’s recovery plan in the city. Former city Receiver David Unkovic created the COO position in the recovery plan he developed for Harrisburg and approved Mendez-Saldivia for the position before he resigned on March 30.

Fred Reddig, the DCED official temporarily overseeing the receiver post while the governor’s office looks for a replacement for Unkovic, did not return interview requests for this story. Any replacement would need to be approved by the Commonwealth Court.

“I would see this position as equal footing to the mayor’s position,” said City Councilwoman Patty Kim. “And he is coming in during a major financial crisis. There will be no honeymoon period.”

The COO will be the one taking the lead role of implementing the recovery plan, which Kim said concerns her because she does not know much about him.

“My biggest concern is if he is qualified. He submitted a seven-page resume. We have to go through this and trust that he can oversee the daily operations of the city,” she said.

About the candidate

Mendez-Saldivia has an MBA from the University of Miami and last served as chief community planning and development officer for the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

He also was an acting public works director for the city of Miami.

Most recently, he was one of 29 applicants vying for the city manager post in Cape Coral, Fla. However, Cape Coral City Council chose another candidate a little more than two weeks ago.

Kim and Miller question whether Mendez-Saldivia will last very long in Harrisburg considering the exodus of 10 of Thompson’s top brass in a little more than two years, including her former chief of staff/business administrator.

All but two employees in her office who left said they no longer could work with the mayor because she is combative, vindictive and delusional.

Ernie Hoch, the city’s former director of the Department of Public Works, was the most recent employee to resign, this month. Hoch didn’t verbally complain about the mayor, but he filed a harassment claim against Thompson with Harrisburg’s affirmative action officer before he quit.

The fact that Thompson cannot fire the COO could shield that person from the mayor, Kim said.

“I don’t think the mayor has an option to not get along with him,” she said. “It would behoove the mayor to respect the position of COO and to move past personalities and egos.”

Miller said he believes Unkovic specifically designed the COO position as one the mayor cannot touch because of the number of top staffers who have left.

“I don’t think [the receiver’s office] could actually hire anybody competent otherwise,” Miller said. “I think that’s the thing nobody wanted to say since day one, but it’s the only conclusion you can come to.”

Thompson has denied being difficult to work with and has said she runs a tough but fair workplace that is even fun. Philbin dismissed as political barbs any concerns about whether Thompson will be able to get along with the COO.

“The political side of this is becoming simply a distraction. This city is in transition under the Act 47 process. Some people are part of the process. Others are not,” Philbin said. “Everyone is optimistic about the arrival of the [COO].”

Meet the candidate

Mayor Linda Thompson will introduce the Harrisburg’s chief operating officer candidate Ricardo Mendez-Saldivia during a news conference in the City Government Center at 2:30 p.m. today.

City Council will interview Mendez-Saldivia during a special public meeting at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers in the City Government Center. Council plans to vote on hiring Mendez-Saldivia on Monday, the same day he would be expected to start.