St. John’s City Manager Kevin Breen is currently on leave from his position but the city isn’t saying why.
VOCM News learned of the situation this week, and requested confirmation from City Hall.
A one-line response was received, stating “the City Manager is currently on leave, and Derek Coffey is acting as City Manager.”
Coffey has been the deputy city manager of Finance and Corporate Services.
Follow-up questions were also posed, such as why Breen is on leave, how long that’s expected to last, or whether he will be returning to the position.
In response, the city says it does not share details of human resource matters publicly, adding that any permanent changes to senior leadership would be shared with the public.
The City Manager is the administrative head for the city, providing liaison with members of council at a salary of $260,000.
Breen, the nephew of St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen, has worked with the city since 1993, rising to the top manager’s job in 2016.
Before that, he held a variety of senior management roles including Deputy City Manager of Corporate Services, Director of Business Planning and Organizational Review, Director of Human Resources, as well as Manager of Streets and Parks.
