March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 44 F

Cohen Appoints Two

The City of Annapolis has confirmed two recent Mayoral appointments.  Both Michelle LeFurge and Eugene Peterson will be working in the Mayor’s office. We reported on Peterson’s hiring several weeks ago. Both LeFurge and Peterson were key members of the Zina Pierre campaign with LeFurge serving as Campaign Manager and Peterson serving as Treasurer.

According to Phill McGowan, the City Public Information Officer, LeFurge is a direct replacement for Murph, and Peterson is a replacement for Spencer. When asked about Spencer’s former department being eliminated in the upcoming budget, McGowan said that while the department may be eliminated, the underlying positions will not. The combined salary for LeFurge and Peterson is approximately $115,000 per year plus benefits.

The press release from City Hall follows:

Mayor Joshua J. Cohen announces the recent hiring of two appointments in the Mayor’s Office, focusing on the organizing of special events and providing constituent service. Both appointments fill existing full-time positions.

The Mayor has named Michelle LeFurge as the Special Projects and Events Coordinator and Eugene Peterson as Community Relations Specialist.

In her position, Ms. LeFurge is responsible for coordinating most city-sponsored events as well as overseeing the permitting process for events such as parades, walks and festivals. She replaces Jenelle Murph, who recently left the City to take a marketing position at ARINC.

Ms. LeFurge has 25 years of experience in program management, economic development, events planning, advocacy and campaigns in the United States and overseas. She holds a bachelor’s in philosophy from Grand Valley State College and a master’s in management and community organization from the University of Maryland. She was hired on March 7, 2010.

Among his duties, Mr. Peterson is responding to and resolving constituent issues; conducting outreach to community associations; and assessing the City’s efforts to meet the federally mandated Limited English Proficiency (LEP) needs for citizens. As the Mayor’s liaison on the Human Relations Commission, he will also work to address language access issues. Mr. Peterson fills the position left by Tony Spencer, who transferred last year to the Fire Department to serve as that agency’s Public Information Officer and Quartermaster and fill other duties. Mr. Peterson was hired on February 17, 2010.

Mr. Peterson has more than 20 years of government experience at the local, state and federal levels. After serving as director of the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission, he later worked in senior positions for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. He is serving his second term as a member of the Anne Arundel County Board of Education. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Kenyon College and a master’s in political science from the University of Washington.

Both positions are contractual and report to Gail Smith, Director of Services.

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