Vermont Business Magazine The City of Winooski is pleased to announce the appointment of Raymond Coffey as Interim City Manager. The City Council confirmed Coffey’s appointment on Monday, July 18 after accepting the resignation of former City Manager Katherine “Deac” Decarreau. . Decarreau had served Winooski for the previous seven years as City Manager and has accepted a position at the Chittenden Central Supervisory Union.
Raymond Coffey
Coffey, a Winooski resident, has served as Community Services Director for the City of Winooski since 2012, overseeing the City’s many human service initiatives and programs. He has also served in the “Acting City Manager” role since 2014 providing periodic coverage of City Manager duties as needed. The City Manager oversees the daily operations of the city and serves as the Chief Administrative Officer. Prior to his work in Winooski, Coffey had served as the Executive Director of Essex CHIPS, a non-profit youth development agency and teen center in Essex Junction.
“I’m really excited for what the future holds for Winooski,” said Coffey. “Deac’s leadership has left behind a legacy of citizen engagement, cross-functional collaboration, and a steadfast belief in what our little City can accomplish, and I’m committed to carrying those principles forward in our work. We have something really special going on here, and I feel really fortunate to have the opportunity to play a role in the City’s next chapter.”
In a statement, Winooski Mayor Seth Leonard said:
“We are fortunate to have someone as capable as Ray Coffey on staff that can step into the City Manager role on an interim basis. The hiring process for the next Winooski City Manager is expected to last no fewer than four months and quite possibly much longer. We are confident Ray has demonstrated the ability to work with our management team to ensure continuity in city operations while the larger search unfolds. This is a busy and exciting time in Winooski as we have a number of complex long-running tasks in the works from redevelopment projects to finding new ways to utilize input from citizen commissions. I have confidence that Ray, with the support of our other Division Directors and staff, will be up to the task of maintaining a strong level of city services for our residents while moving projects forward during this interim period.”