Phoenix City Council plans to appoint city councilor Jeff Barton to head the fastest growing city in the country. The council will decide on the appointment on September 8th.
Barton, a longtime city clerk who was last appointed deputy city director in February, will replace Ed Zürcher, who is retiring after nearly 30 years with the city and eight years as city director.
“I want to thank the mayor and council for their confidence in giving me this opportunity to serve the people of Phoenix,” Barton said in a city statement. “It is an honor and privilege to help make Phoenix an even stronger, safer and better place to live, work and play for all residents, business owners and visitors.”
Barton will take on the role after Zürcher retires on Oct. 8, if the council approves his appointment.
Just months after the US Department of Justice announced it was investigating whether the Phoenix Police Department had a civil rights violation pattern, he will take on the top leadership position.
Barton has helped guide the city’s finances through the COVID-19 pandemic and oversee the deployment of the $ 293 million Coronavirus Relief Fund strategic plan, which provided financial assistance to residents and businesses.
“He was a key driver in budget and community investment decisions, as well as in developing a strategy for using federal COVID aid during the pandemic and beyond,” said Mayor Kate Gallego.
Gallego praised Barton’s work ethic and passion for public service and said she looked forward to working with him. She said they both “find an urge to innovate and creative new ways to bring a powerful experience to everyone who calls Phoenix home.”
Barton is the city’s first Black City manager and just one of a handful of top colored managers in the entire Valley. Barton has said he is a direct descendant of the abolitionist Frederick Douglass and can trace his family back to members of the Union Army’s first African-American regiment during the Civil War, according to an interview with KJZZ last year.
As a manager, he will oversee a workforce of nearly 15,000 people serving 1.7 million residents and a budget of $ 4 billion. Phoenix is the largest city in the US with a council manager government in which the manager oversees day-to-day operations and reports the position directly to the council.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Barton moved to Arizona in 1999 to work as an in-house auditor.
He has worked in budget-related roles for the past two decades, including Budget and Research Director where he was responsible for planning and managing the city’s operational and capital budget. He was appointed deputy city director in February 2020 and quickly rose to deputy director earlier this year, where he oversaw the police and fire services, among other things.
He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Morehouse College, Georgia and a master’s degree in public administration from Shippensburg University, Pennsylvania.
Reach reporter Paulina Pineda at paulina.pineda@azcentral.com or 480-389-9637. Follow her on Twitter: @ paulinapineda22.
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