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Sara Morrissey, the deputy city administrator of operations for Portland as it transitioned to a new form of government over the past year, is leaving the city.
In a Friday morning email, City Administrator Mike Jordan wrote that Morrissey’s last day is Oct. 2. She is taking the deputy chief operating officer position at Multnomah County, he wrote.
“I know Sara would would want to share this news herself if she weren’t taking well-deserved vacation time with family and friends,” Jordan wrote. “She has committed to making this a smooth transition when she returns, and she will continue to work in close partnership with the City of Portland in her new position.”
Morrissey formerly worked as deputy chief of staff to former Mayor Ted Wheeler. Jordan praised Morrissey’s work in her 14 months as one of the city’s six deputy city administrators, calling her “a leader in improving the city’s budget process and addressing our financial challenges.”
The city’s pivot to a new form of government over the past two years has been complicated, controversial and at times messy. Morrissey throughout the transition handled what was most likely the heftiest portfolio of city divisions: finance, budget, business operations, communications, human resources, technology and the city’s Small Donor Elections program, among others.
The spring budget season saw tensions bloom between city councilors, but also between members of the council who held a deep distrust of city administrators and division heads, who sought to preserve funding for their service areas.
Morrissey did not immediately respond to a text from WW seeking comment.
Tracy Warren, the city’s director of human resources, will serve on an interim basis in Morrissey’s position.
