Jolene Nieves Byzon, a spokeswoman for the city controller, said Rhynhart asked all at-will staff members to reapply for their jobs about a week after winning the election in November. Rhynhart decided to not retain 15 employees, and Byzon said she notified them of her decision in mid-December. Their dismissals were effective on or around Jan. 2, the day Rhynhart was inaugurated, according to Byzon.