PHILADELPHIA-Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker announced that Randy E. Hayman, Esq. will continue to serve as Commissioner for the Philadelphia Water Department in her administration.

“It is my great honor to continue to serve Philadelphia under the historic administration of our 100th mayor, Cherelle Parker,” said Commissioner Hayman. “We have made immense progress in recent years in our efforts to protect public health and the environment while doing our part to make Philadelphia a more equitable city. I look forward to leading our organization and ensuring the Philadelphia Water Department continues to be a powerful driver in creating a cleaner, greener, and safer community through Mayor Parker’s vision. Together, I believe we can do great things.”     

Commissioner Hayman was first appointed to his role by Mayor Jim Kenney following a national search for new leadership in 2019.

The Philadelphia Water Department supplies drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services to customers within the City of Philadelphia. The Department also has one wholesale water contract and 10 wholesale wastewater contracts with entities outside the City.

Commissioner Hayman received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. His prior experience included a distinguished career in public service as the General Counsel for DC Water and at the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District. He also served as an Assistant Attorney General in Missouri.

Commissioner Hayman started his career at a premier real estate law firm on K Street in Washington DC and worked in private practices in St. Louis and Kansas City. He was a partner with the nation’s largest and oldest environmental law firm Beveridge & Diamond before assuming his position in Philadelphia.  

His first significant accomplishment at the helm of the Philadelphia Water Department involved successfully overcoming the many challenges of steering the utility, which serves clean water to over 1.6 million people daily, through the COVID-19 crisis. Commissioner Hayman led the 2,500-plus employee workforce through the pandemic while consistently delivering high-quality services critical to the city’s health. 

The utility is now undergoing one of its most robust investment periods, with over $4.5 billion in capital program infrastructure investments through fiscal year 2029. This comes at a time of increasing regulatory pressures around issues such as lead service lines, sewer overflows, and “forever chemicals.” 

Philadelphia has made significant progress in reducing sewer overflows in the first 12 years of the nationally recognized Green City, Clean Waters program. As of 2021, the city reduced the annual average overflow volume by 3.08 billion gallons, exceeding the required reduction target of 2.044 billion gallons by more than 1 billion gallons.

Philadelphia is concurrently implementing its multi-billion-dollar Water Revitalization Plan, which will span 25 years and over 400 projects that range from rebuilding treatment plants to installing new pipelines and storage facilities. 

Commissioner Hayman has prioritized keeping water rates affordable for all in the face of this unprecedented need for infrastructure investment. In addition to working to expand assistance options and design more equitable policies, Commissioner Hayman has strongly advocated for the city to take advantage of all state and federal funding. 

The utility’s success in this area was highlighted during a 2023 Presidential visit to the Belmont Treatment Plant, where the Biden Administration hailed more than $500 million in new financing for water infrastructure within the city. Commissioner Hayman was later honored to testify before the U.S. Senate regarding the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

In September 2023, Moody’s Investors Service assigned an A1 municipal utility revenue rating to Philadelphia Water, and both S&P and Fitch rate the utility’s bonds at A+.

Board Membership, Community Involvement, Recent Honors: 

  • Philadelphia Titan 100, Board of Directors, 2022–present
  • Leadership Philadelphia, Board of Directors, 2022–present
  • National Association of Clean Water Agencies, Board of Directors, 2022–present
  • Global Philadelphia Association, Board of Directors, 2022-present
  • Water Research Foundation, Board of Directors, 2021–present
  • Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, board of directors, 2021 – present
  • Co-Chair, 2023 City of Philadelphia Combined Campaign 
  • Philadelphia Diversity in Business Award, Philadelphia Business Journal, 2024
  • Philadelphia Titan 100, Titan Award: Philadelphia’s Top CEOs, 2023
  • Philadelphia Titan 100, Titan Award: Philadelphia’s Top CEOs, 2022
  • Global Philadelphia Association, Sustainability Award, 2022
  • Washington Business Journal, Legal Champions Award (Washington’s Top General Counsels), 2014
  • Washington Business Journal, Minority Business Leader Award, 2014
  • St. Louis Business Journal, Most Influential Minority Business Leader Award, 2007

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