Contact: Elaine Tricoli
Phone: (336) 373-2421

Greensboro City Manager Announces Key Staff Changes

GREENSBORO, NC -- (March 12, 2008) – Greensboro City Manager Mitchell Johnson today announced two staff changes in the City Manager’s office that move forward with a reorganization plan announced in February.

The staff changes announced today are:

• Assistant City Manager Bob Morgan has been promoted to the role of Deputy City Manager. This position was previously held by Johnson and has been vacant since October 2005 when Johnson was selected as City Manager.
• Transportation Department Director Jim Westmoreland has been selected as the Acting Assistant City Manager of Economic Development Services.

In announcing the selection of Morgan to the role of Deputy City Manager, Johnson said, “Bob brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role. As a result, I have complete faith in his ability to guide the work of a number of City departments, many of whom previously were under my direct supervision.”

The City Manager said his decision to dedicate one of the two vacant Assistant City Manager positions to focus on economic development demonstrates his recognition of the importance of economic development and his adherence to the guidance of City Council.

“There is an immediate need for us to pursue economic development,” Johnson said, “and in recognition of that fact, I offered a temporary opportunity to a member of the City’s executive team to serve in this important role. I interviewed several excellent applicants and eventually selected Jim Westmoreland for the position. Jim is a proven leader in our organization and willingly agreed to step up and make a difference at this critical time.”

Johnson said he intends to start a national search process within the next 30 to 45 days to fill the position on a permanent basis. The process to fill the position is expected to take about 90 days.

In this new role, Westmoreland will be asked to address a number of key strategic initiatives to help support City Council, the City Manager’s office, and the City organization, including:

• Review the state of economic development in Greensboro and develop a summary report in 60 days that details economic development opportunities and provides specific recommendations for City Council to consider regarding needed tools and/or public-private partnership possibilities.
• Review the state of the City’s economic development services and develop a summary report in 90 days that outlines key issues affecting service delivery and offers recommendations and strategies to help improve them.
• Provide key organizational and strategic support to the City Manager’s office to help advance the important work of the City Council and the City organization.

Westmoreland said he welcomes the opportunity to serve in the new role.

“I am very excited to be asked to serve in this most important role for our organization, and I look forward to working with the City Manager and the City Council on these key strategic initiatives,” he said. “I am very passionate about Greensboro’s future and will commit to do my best to make our community the best place in the Triad, and in North Carolina, to live, work, play, and do business. In addition, I will continue to solicit and rely upon key input from residents, community leaders, experts from our local institutions of higher learning, and the development community to help me best understand our issues, to develop the best plans and options for Greensboro, and to help ensure the future success of our community.”

While Westmoreland serves in this role, the day-to-day direction for the Transportation Department (GDOT) will be handled by Adam Fischer, who will serve as Acting Director of Transportation. In this role, Fischer will be responsible for all GDOT operations, including Engineering, Planning, Public Transportation, and Business and Operations. Fischer has been a City employee since 1987 and has served as the manager of GDOT’s Engineering Division for the past nine years.

Johnson further noted, “This restructuring of the City Manager’s office allows me to more effectively address the goals set forth by the Greensboro City Council. By delegating day-to-day management responsibilities to the Deputy City Manager and by allowing a key staff member to focus on economic development, I will have more time to address external issues and to work with Council on their specific needs.”

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The City of Greensboro works in partnership with the community to build an increased quality of life for all residents by fostering an environment where inclusion, diversity, and trust are valued. As the seventh largest employer in Greensboro, the City has a dedicated professional staff of 2700 employees who maintain four core values of honesty, integrity, stewardship, and respect. The City of Greensboro is governed by a council-manager form of government where a mayor and eight council members act as the legislative body. For more information on the City of Greensboro, please visit us online at www.greensboro-nc.gov.