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The Phoenix City Council plans to name city executive Jeff Barton to lead the country’s fastest-growing city. The council will vote on the appointment on Sept. 8.
Barton, a long-time city employee who most recently was appointed assistant city manager in February, will replace Ed Zuercher who is retiring after nearly 30 years with the city and eight years as city manager.
“I want to thank the Mayor and Council for their confidence in providing me this opportunity to serve the people of Phoenix,” Barton said in a city statement. “I consider it an honor and privilege to contribute to making Phoenix an even stronger, safer, better place to live, work and play for all residents, business owners and visitors.”
Barton will move into the role after Zuercher retires Oct. 8, if the council approves his appointment.
He will take on the top leadership spot just months after the U.S. Department of Justice announced it was investigating whether Phoenix police have a pattern of violating civil rights.
Barton has helped lead the city’s finances through the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw the deployment of the city’s $293 million Coronavirus Relief Fund Strategic Plan that provided financial assistance to residents and businesses.
“He has been a critical factor in decisions regarding the budget and community investment, and in developing strategy for deploying federal COVID relief dollars during the pandemic and beyond,” Mayor Kate Gallego said.
Gallego praised Barton’s work ethic and passion for public service and said she looks forward to working with him. She said they both share a “drive to innovate and find creative, new ways to deliver a powerful experience for everyone who chooses to call Phoenix home.”
Barton is the city’s first Black city manager and just one of a handful of top executives of color across the Valley. Barton has said he’s a direct descendant of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and can trace his family to members of the Union Army’s first African American regiment in the Civil War, according to an interview last year with KJZZ.
As manager, he will oversee a workforce of nearly 15,000 employees that serve 1.7 million residents and a $4 billion budget. Phoenix is the largest U.S. city with a council-manager form of government where the manager oversees day-to-day operations and the position reports directly to the council.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Barton moved to Arizona in 1999 to pursue a job at the city as an internal auditor.
He has worked in budget-related roles over the last two decades, including serving as Budget and Research director where he was responsible for planning and managing the city’s operating and capital budget. He was appointed deputy city manager in February 2020 and quickly rose in the ranks to assistant manager earlier this year where he oversaw the Police and Fire departments among others.
He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Morehouse College in Georgia and a master of public administration from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania.
Reach reporter Paulina Pineda at [email protected] or 480-389-9637. Follow her on Twitter: @paulinapineda22.
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