The Evanston City Council announced intentions to hire John Fournier as the next city manager, according to a May 13 city news release.
A Detroit-area native, Fournier has 20 years of service in the public sector, according to his personal website. He currently serves as the assistant city administrator in Ann Arbor, Michigan, his resume states. For two years, he was the city’s interim human resources director.
From 2010 to 2018, Fournier held various positions within city administration in Pittsburgh, including director of on-street and metered parking, deputy chief of staff for Mayor William Peduto and chief of staff for City Council member Natalia Rudiak, according an Evanston news release announcing the city’s intentions to hire Fournier.
He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Penn State University, a graduate certificate in public finance and an undergraduate degree in political theory and constitutional theory from Michigan State University.
Fournier lists his involvement in creating Ann Arbor’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program as one of his most important projects. While there, he assisted in the planning of a 20-megawatt solar power plant, the city’s parental leave policy and reconstructed the city’s emergency response following the Feb. 2010 blizzard dubbed “Snowmaggedon.”
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Evanston officials said in the release that Fournier “helped to make Ann Arbor an innovative and challenging workplace of choice for talented persons interested in careers in public service.”
Evanston has been without a permanent city manager since Erika Storlie left the post in October 2021. City officials had announced plans in February to hire former city of Baltimore deputy administrator Daniel Ramos, but Ramos ended up declining the offer to take a job in Houston. Evanston was then back on the hunt for a city manager and hired a new consulting firm to conduct the search.
Fournier’s hire is not yet a done deal, with city officials stating in the news release that contract negotiations are ongoing. A final decision is expected in the coming weeks.