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Riverdale Park council confirms Jessica Barnes as deputy town manager
Summary
The Town of Riverdale Park confirmed Jessica Barnes as deputy town manager in a unanimous 6–0 roll-call vote after the town manager described succession-planning needs. Council members praised Barnes’ experience and the appointment follows a charter change requiring council confirmation.
The Riverdale Park Mayor and Council voted unanimously on June 16 to confirm the town manager’s appointment of Jessica Barnes as deputy town manager.
Town management presented the appointment as part of succession planning and a broader set of staffing changes tied to recent charter and code revisions. The town manager told the council the appointment required a majority of the full council and that the position is intended to preserve institutional knowledge and provide interim leadership as long-term staff changes occur.
Councilmember Fau moved to confirm the appointment; the motion was seconded and the council conducted a roll-call vote that passed 6–0. During discussion, several council members offered endorsements. “Is one of the most professionally competent people that I have ever encountered in my life,” a council member said in support. Another said keeping Barnes on staff would help the town “retain someone like Miss Barnes” through an expected transition period.
A few members of the public also spoke in favor of the appointment. One resident who said she had known Barnes for about 15 years praised her work and expressed optimism about the appointment’s benefits for the town’s operations.
The confirmation is procedural: the town manager makes the appointment and the council’s vote documents the council’s approval under the charter. The council recorded the vote as a roll-call approval, and the appointment will take effect as administered by the town manager.
