Mayor Brandon Johnson announced the appointment of Tom Carney as commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), Sandra Blakemore as commissioner of the Department of Human Resources and Alfonzo “Randy” Conner Jr. as commissioner of the Department of Water Management. Tom 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, which include critical traffic safety and infrastructure improvements citywide.

Alfonzo “Randy” Conner Jr. has been appointed to serve as the Commissioner of the Department of Water Management. This marks a return for Conner, who had previously served as the Commissioner of Water Management for the City of Chicago from July 2017 through December 2020. As the Commissioner of Water Management, 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.

Sandra Blakemore has been appointed commissioner of the City of Chicago Department of Human Resources. Blakemore currently serves as the commissioner for the Department of Assets, Information, and Services (AIS).   As AIS commissioner, Blakemore oversaw a budget of $500 million and more than 1,000 employees. During her tenure, she led the procurement of an energy contract to meet the City’s goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2025, and optimized the Department budget, leading a pilot program for decreasing payment time for construction vendors.   The mayor’s selections are now subject to City Council approval.