Minneapolis Review

Today, Mayor Jacob Frey signed Executive Order 2022-03 formally designating the current City Coordinator, Heather Johnston, as interim City Operations Officer (COO). Under the newly approved government structure, the COO is one of four direct reports to the mayor. Ordinance No. 2022-045, which passed the full City Council on October 20, 2022, also outlines the roles and responsibilities of the City Operations Officer.

“Heather Johnston’s extensive experience in leading complex, large-scale change is renowned throughout the Twin Cities region, and Minneapolis is lucky to have her as the interim City Operations Officer,” said Frey. “She has consistently put service before self – when you need something done, and done well, you call Heather. I’m grateful Heather is continuing to provide essential leadership to the thousands of team members serving in the Office of Public Service and across our local government.”

The COO oversees the Office of Public Service (OPS) and is responsible for providing enterprise-wide leadership and direction to ensure the delivery of high-quality, coordinated city services. The OPS departments and core functions will include internal services; communications and engagement services; and development, health, and livability services. These departments primarily support the work of the enterprise, address community health and livability, foster racial equity, and administer performance management.

“We are seeing positive momentum right now as we continue to build out our new government structure,” said Johnston. “It is a great honor to help advance the work of the City of Minneapolis – and I am excited to work with our incredible City staff to deliver effective, efficient, and equitable services to all residents. I’m grateful to Mayor Frey for placing his trust in me, and I look forward to cultivating and shaping the work of the new Office of Public Service.”

OPS departments include: 311 Service Center, Communications, Neighborhood & Community Relations, Arts & Cultural Affairs, Regulatory Services, Intergovernmental Relations, Finance & Property Services, Human Resources, Information Technology, the Minneapolis Convention Center, City Assessor, Community Planning & Economic Development, Health, Public Works, Civil Rights, Race Equity, Inclusion & Belonging, Performance Management & Innovation.

The City of Minneapolis is in the process of finalizing terms with an external firm to lead a national search for a permanent COO candidate. The firm will recommend finalists to the mayor, and the mayor will nominate a permanent candidate. The nomination will go through the Minneapolis City Council for confirmation and approval. The search process is anticipated to be complete in the first half of 2023.

View all mayoral Executive Orders.

Original source can be found here.