BATON ROUGE - A second high-ranking city-parish official is leaving Mayor Sharon Weston Broome's administration.

Broome announced Wednesday that Darryl Gissel was leaving his post as chief administrative officer.  

The city named its new CAO Wednesday afternoon, Maj. Gen. Glenn Curtis, former commander of the Louisiana National Guard under governors Bobby Jindal and Jon Bel Edwards. He retired from the National Guard in 2020.

Curtis will take over his new role at the mayor's office Dec. 1.

Gissel first ran against Broome in the primary election in 2016 for mayor but did not make it to the runoff. He joined Broome after her first election in late 2016.

Gissel's departure Wednesday is the second in a month.

Assistant CAO Kelvin Hill resigned amid the boondoggled plan to add a fee to property taxes to help the city-parish pay for stormwater issues.

Gissel said he was leaving to focus on operating a business he owns.

"I told the mayor I lost a 17-year employee in my business who really kept things going while I was here, so the need for me to be back is critical at this time. I told the mayor I can't do both jobs at the same time. I couldn't be fair to the mayor or citizens of the parish if I tried to do that," Gissel said.

Read the full announcement below from the mayor's office below.

Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome proudly announced today a leadership transition with the naming of a new Chief Administrative Officer effective December 1, 2022. Major General Glenn Curtis will serve as CAO under Mayor Broome. He will oversee operations of City-Parish departments and administrative offices. 

The General, who has vast managerial and leadership expertise, joins the Administration after Gissel’s five years of devoted service. Gissel oversaw operations during some of the most trying times in our local government – from the post pandemic recovery in EBR to the passage of the massive $1 Billion MOVEBR infrastructure package.  

“Darryl has shared in my love for this community and leadership responsibility. We have improved governmental efficiency and streamlined operations under his tenure. I am proud of the honesty, dignity, and service he brought to our government and our residents he loved and served,” explained Mayor Broome.

“Now we enter a new era with new challenges and I truly believe we are on the precipice of growth and promise. I am delighted and honored to bring General Glenn Curtis on board with our team. He has committed to me to sustain the integrity and service all my leaders offer. He likewise brings the ability to mobilize community efforts, hold folks accountable for his quality programs and services, and offers strong vision and management skills to this government – your government,” said Mayor Broome.

“I am honored to bring the best experiences of my past in infrastructure development, teamwork, streamlined management, and business acumen to City Hall.  Mayor Broome left an impression on me when she said her administration would be committed to peace, prosperity, and progress for our community,” outlined General Curtis. “Now I will help her carry that torch forward and I will stand by her side to further strengthen citizen service and introduce strategic solutions to this community’s greatest challenges.”

Attached is a detailed resume of Major General Glenn Curtis and his long and distinguished career in the military, public and private sectors. 

General Curtis served two Louisiana governors (Governors Bobby Jindal and John Bel Edwards) as commander of the Louisiana National Guard. He has 30 years of disaster response and leadership experience, leading responses to every major disaster in the Southeastern United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. He has business experience in the fields of business development and financial growth; renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure; and operational efficiency.

Darryl Gissel will shepherd in the General with a transition period during the month of December.