What is a city administrator? Panel

A city administrator is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the Mayor-Council form of government. What distinguishes a city administrator from a city manager, is that a city manager is usually the administrative manager in a Council-Manager form of government. Both positions share a lot of responsibilities for the day-to-day operations of a city. The roles and responsibilities of Portland's new city administrator are defined in section 2-406 of our City’s Charter.  

Cities are organized differently across the country to meet the needs of their communities. In 2025, the City of Portland will have a city administrator that will assist the mayor manage the executive functions of the city.  

Lessons learned by other city administrators 

In early June 2023, CAO Michael Jordan and Portland’s Bureau Leadership hosted a panel of experienced City Administrators and Managers to talk about the role of a city administrator. The purpose of the panel was to understand what an organization led by a city administrator feels like on the inside, how it operates, the benefits of this type of leadership model, and how we can prepare for the transition.   

• Jason Grant (He/Him/His) is the Advocacy Director at the International City Managers Association, advocating for professional government management. In this role, Jason provides resources and training for municipal leadership.     

• Jenny Haruyama (She/Her/Hers) is the City Manager for the City of Beaverton, Oregon. Jenny is Beaverton's first female City Manager responsible for implementing the 2020 voter-approved charter amendments, transitioning the City from a Strong-Mayor to a Council-Manager form of government.  

• Heather Johnston (She/Her/His) is the City Coordinator of Minneapolis. In Minneapolis, the city coordinator is one of the highest-ranking, non-elected positions and is an adviser to the Mayor and City Council. In 2021 voters approved amendments to the charter that transitioned the City to an Executive Mayor-Legislative Council structure and added the City Coordinator role.   

• Christopher Shorter (He/Him/His) is the County Executive of Prince William County, VA. Previously Chris served as the first City Administrator City of Baltimore after a 2020 charter amendment created the position. That year several measures to reshape Baltimore's government were on the ballot.