City manager’s reorganization adds new department — Finishing his first year on the job, City Manager Mark Sohaney has rejiggered Boca Raton’s organizational chart again, this time creating a new Public Affairs Department to handle both outgoing and incoming communication.
The City Council approved his plan on Sept. 22, passing an ordinance to officially birth the department, which has more than 30 employees taken mostly from other offices.
“Before we started this there were only about three people in this, it wasn’t even a division really,” Sohaney said. “What we’ve done here is we’ve brought together all of our citywide communications and marketing that were spread out in different departments.”
Anne Marie Connolly, previously the city’s communications and marketing manager, leads the new department as the public affairs director. Reporting to her now are the mayor’s and City Council’s analysts, the city manager’s executive office staff, communications and digital media, video production, community relations, cultural affairs, community resources and the public safety information team.
“Ultimately this department is here to provide support, not only internally to get information out to our residents but to meet residents where they are gathered to get feedback and build a sense of trust,” Connolly said.
When Sohaney started his job in September 2025, he quickly made the police chief and fire chief report directly to him. In March he fired Police Chief Michele Miuccio and two of his four deputy city managers: Jorge Camejo, who oversaw the Community Redevelopment Agency team, and Chrissy Gibson, who supervised Connolly and the communications and marketing team.
Mayor hosting community Town Hall — Mayor Andy Thomson will host a Town Hall meeting on Oct. 14, offering residents an opportunity to hear directly from him about what’s happening in Boca Raton, upcoming city initiatives and issues that matter to the community.
The informal gathering will be 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Spanish River Library mezzanine, at 1501 NW Spanish River Blvd.
With several initiatives and projects underway and on the horizon, the city said the event will give residents an opportunity to ask questions, share feedback, and gain a better understanding of Boca Raton’s current and future plans and projects.
Ban on feeding nuisance animals may be repealed — Council member Stacy Sipple introduced an ordinance on Sept. 22 to repeal the city’s new ban on feeding pigeons, iguanas and other nuisance animals and its accompanying $100 fine.
The ban, which Mayor Andy Thomson had sought, was approved in a 3-2 vote on Aug. 25.
But Sipple, who voted in favor of the ban, “requested that the City Council reconsider the adoption of that ordinance and has advised that, based on information learned after its adoption, she would vote differently if the matter were presented again,” a city document said.
A final vote on repealing the ban on feeding and the $100 fine is scheduled for Oct. 13.
— Steve Plunkett
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