ITHACA, N.Y.—Ithaca’s Common Council has selected a City Manager. In a vote during an executive session on Nov. 15, Council members voted overwhelmingly to hire longtime Ithaca public official and current city Chief of Staff Deborah Mohlenhoff to be Ithaca’s first city manager.
The decision isn’t final yet — Mohlenhoff will face a final public vote at the council’s next full meeting on Dec. 6. If the selection is confirmed, Mohlenhoff will start in the new role on Jan. 1.
Common Council finalized the duties and salary for the role in early October. The new city manager will be responsible for drafting the city budget, overseeing the city’s 12 departments and heading labor negotiations on behalf of the city, among other duties. The role is politically neutral, but Mohlenhoff can be removed from her position with a simple majority vote by Common Council.
Voters opted to transition the city from mayoral leadership to one that’s helmed by a city manager in a referendum last November. The idea was pitched back in 2021 by then-Mayor Svante Myrick.
The role of the mayor will transition to one that is far more geared towards the legislative process. Alderperson Robert Cantelmo won the mayoral election earlier this month.
As Chief of Staff, Mohlenhoff played a role in defining the new city manager role and expressed interest in the position early in the process.
Mohlenhoff has been chief of staff for a little under a year—the position is slated to be eliminated under the city manager structure. Previously, she worked at Tompkins Cortland Community College from 2018 to 2022, most recently as the Vice President of Community Relations. She also served on the Common Council for 12 years from 2009 to 2021.
Mohlenhoff was one of two finalists to come out of a national search, along with Washington D.C. native and longtime municipal worker Delancia Browning.
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