Minneapolis City Council approves Heather Johnston's nomination for city coordinator

A divided Minneapolis City Council on Thursday agreed to appoint Heather Johnston to serve as the next city coordinator, despite concerns from some staffers who said she should have done more to combat a racist culture within the department.

The confirmation process for Johnston, who has been serving as interim coordinator since August, was unlike any other in recent memory, multiple officials said. In the weeks leading up to Johnston's confirmation, dozens of current and former city employees signed an open letter raising concerns about "toxic, racist, and unsafe workplace conditions."

Council President Andrea Jenkins said during the council meeting Thursday that she knew many of the employees who signed the letter and considered them friends.

"We lost many of our staff, many who have signed on to this letter, many who have been challenged by the oppressive nature of white supremacy that permeates our entire culture that's present in every institution that we all exist in," Jenkins said. But, she added: "I can't in good conscience place that reality on one person who has had this role for seven months."

Other council members saw it differently.

Council Member Aisha Chughtai read off the names of people she knew had signed the letter — people who helped protect portions of the city as it burned after George Floyd's murder, or who joined an internship program for people seeking work in the public sector.

"I don't believe that anyone is saying that one person who works here is responsible for systemic racism in this country, in this city, in this specific institution," Chughtai said. "But every single action we take, every single vote that we take ... is a choice for us to either uphold or reject white supremacy in this institution."

The coordinator is one of the highest-ranking employees in city government, advising the mayor and council and running a department that oversees a wide array of projects. About 40 people work in the coordinator's office, but hundreds work in additional divisions that also report to the coordinator.

Frey announced last summer that he was selecting Johnston to serve as interim coordinator and said the city would "undertake a competitive search for a permanent replacement in the weeks and months ahead."

The mayor announced last month that he was nominating Johnston to serve a longer term running through 2025. Shortly afterward, a group of employees raised concerns that

the city hadn't provided enough support to Black employees after police killings and other traumatic events, hadn't provided enough opportunities for them to work remotely to avoid exposure to the coronavirus and microaggressions from colleagues and the public, and felt dismissed when raising concerns about government operations.

In public meetings, Johnston's supporters described her as someone with immense budgeting experience who didn't shy away from difficult conversations and who helped to restaff the city's depleted division of Race & Equity. Frey said some of the policies the group took issue with, such as the city's return-to-the-office rules, stemmed from him and not Johnston.

Johnston's critics said she had been slow to respond to their concerns and they had forwarded complaints to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. They also questioned why Frey hadn't conducted a full, national search for a successor as promised.

The mayor said Thursday that his approach shifted when voters approved a measure that changed the structure of city government; he's now pitching a plan to have a chief administrative officer, a role he initially envisioned Johnston taking, rather than a city coordinator.

"To have a national search for a position that will perhaps only be around for a matter of months did not make a lot of sense," Frey said. "And so, rather, the search itself will be for the full-time and permanent position of the commissioner or director."

Council Member Robin Wonsley asked: "Why should we expect that you would carry that out for the chief administrative officer position?"

Johnston did not speak during the council meeting. In a hearing last month, she said: "We do live in a racist society. Racism does permeate all of our systems ... I do want to continue working to change systems and develop a culture that is inclusive, innovative, anti-racist and equitable for all of our employees."

Council Members Lisa Goodman, Andrew Johnson, Jamal Osman, Emily Koski, LaTrisha Vetaw, Michael Rainville, Vice President Linea Palmisano and Jenkins voted to confirm Johnston's nomination. Council Members Chughtai, Wonsley, Jason Chavez, Elliott Payne and Jeremiah Ellison voted against it.

Following the vote, Kelly Muellman, who works in the coordinator's office, called Johnston's nomination "defeating, crushing and disappointing" but not surprising.

"This is how our government and leadership have acted for a long time," Muellman said. "We knew this was a very possible outcome."