Council committee backs adding an assistant/chief of staff to the mayor’s office

The Ordinance, Charter and Rules committee voted to advance an ordinance that would add a new assistant to the mayor (chief of staff) to the municipal code and establish base salary language for the position.

Mayor Concannon told the committee he had surveyed neighboring communities and national mayoral training that showed the position is common and helps manage the volume of work in a modern mayor’s office. "In every meeting we had... proper staffing in the office was a highlight," he said, and added the role would not be a layer between the mayor and council or department heads.

Councilors probed how the job would be limited to avoid an effective deputy-mayor or a gatekeeper role. The mayor and staff said the ordinance language and the job description were drafted with explicit carve-outs: the position would not act as mayor and would have no authority to negotiate city contracts or replace existing bargaining responsibilities.

Committee members noted salary survey results and said the proposed starting range was at the low end of comparable communities. Several councilors expressed support, saying the mayor’s workload and the number of ongoing projects justified the position. The committee suspended rules and voted to send the ordinance forward by voice vote; the full council will consider the change as part of the municipal legislative process.