CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Friday the appointments of three city department commissioners.
Tom Carney was appointed as commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), Sandra Blakemore was appointed as commissioner of the Department of Human Resources and Alfonzo “Randy” Conner Jr. was appointed as commissioner of the Department of Water Management, the Mayor’s Office announced in a news release.
The mayor’s selections are now subject to City Council approval.
Here is more on the three appointments:
Tom Carney
Carney has served as the acting commissioner of CDOT since August 2023, directing the department’s implementation of more than $2 billion in combined city, state and federally funded capital projects. Those include citywide traffic safety and infrastructure improvements.
“Tom Carney has served admirably as the acting commissioner of CDOT, working to make the entire city accessible to all Chicagoans,” Mayor Johnson said in the release. “My administration is committed to investing in people and disinvested communities and having a person at the helm of CDOT who understands how to deliver effective and efficient services to residents and oversee the large-scale capital improvements our city needs.
“Tom is the man for the job.”
Prior to being named acting commissioner, Carney worked in a variety of leadership roles within CDOT, including First Deputy Commissioner, Managing Deputy Commissioner for Operations and Deputy Commissioner within the division of In-House Construction. He most recently served as the city’s NASCAR Infrastructure Committee Chairman and led the efforts of city agencies and utilities to execute the NASCAR Street Race Event.
Alfonzo ‘Randy’ Conner Jr.
This marks a return to the Department of Water Management for Conner, who previously served as the department’s commissioner from July 2017 through December 2020.
“We are excited to be welcoming Randy back as a proven leader and someone who
knows the ins and outs of infrastructure and water management,” Mayor Johnson said in the release. “There is nothing more foundational to our collective health than clean drinking water, and Randy brings the type of compassionate, collaborative and competent leadership that this city needs to manage our systems for safety and good health.”
In his previous stint in the role, Conner served as the leader of the world’s largest municipally owned water filtration and distribution system. He spearheaded the conversion of a quarter of the pumping stations from oil fuel to electricity, saving the city approximately $1 million per year in operating costs and reducing the carbon footprint by 35 percent, according to the release.
Conner has extensive experience in city leadership, previously serving as First Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Transportation, First Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Streets and Sanitation and Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Transportation.
Sandra Blakemore
Blakemore currently serves as the commissioner for the Department of Assets, Information and Services (AIS), overseeing a budget of $500 million and more than 1,000 employees.
During her tenure in that role, Blakemore led the procurement of an energy contract to meet the city’s goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2025 and led a pilot program for decreasing payment time for construction vendors in efforts to optimize the department budget, the release states.
“With an extensive career ranging from Fortune 500 companies to public service, I am confident that Sandra has the experience and expertise that we need in the Department of Human Resources,” Mayor Johnson said in the release. “We welcome her leadership in this new role, and I know that she will continue the department’s mission of fair, equitable and transparent employment practices for the City of Chicago.”
Prior to her time in public service, Blakemore held leadership positions in the private sector, including as a director at ConAgra Foods, with responsibilities for a $500 million portfolio of businesses, according to the release.
Blakemore holds a B.A. in Government from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland.
