Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
Renee Garcia, the top lawyer in Mayor Cherelle L. Parker<\/a>\u2019s administration, is resigning from her job as city solicitor to work in the private sector, the mayor announced Tuesday.<\/p>\n The reason for Garcia\u2019s departure was not clear Tuesday, and she was not present at a news conference announcing the staff change. <\/p>\n Garcia, who served in the Parker administration since the mayor took office in 2024,<\/a> has recently led the city\u2019s strategy in several high-profile matters, including a protracted legal battle with President <\/a>Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s administration over slavery exhibits at the President\u2019s House Site at Independence National Historical Park. <\/p>\n In some ways, Garcia carried out Parker\u2019s approach<\/a> to the Trump administration, which has largely been cautious and conflict-averse<\/a>. At Garcia\u2019s urging, the mayor did not sign legislation supported by City Council<\/a> that bans federal immigration enforcement officers from wearing masks in the city. But the legislation took effect without Parker\u2019s signature, and the federal government last month sued the city<\/a> over the provision.<\/p>\n Garcia will be replaced at the top of the city\u2019s law department by Monique Galloway, who most recently worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Philadelphia. Galloway\u2019s resume also includes stints as counsel at the federal General Services Administration and the Federal Transit Authority.<\/p>\n Parker said Galloway\u2019s experience working in the federal government was a key reason for her selection as the next city solicitor.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are challenging times for cities and states as we all have to interact with the federal government,\u201d Parker said. \u201cOn any given day, we can never be sure if we\u2019re going to face a legal filing, a summons, or a subpoena out of Washington on a range of different issues.\u201d<\/p>\n She added that Garcia\u2019s law department has been \u201cPhiladelphia\u2019s frontline defense on many of these issues.\u201d<\/p>\n Galloway said she was \u201cmoved by this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIntegrity, sound judgment, excellence, and a key focus on public service are who I am,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd they are the anchor through everything that I do.\u201d<\/p>\n Garcia\u2019s departure was the second major leadership change Parker announced Tuesday. Managing Director Adam K. Thiel, who oversees much of the city\u2019s day-to-day operations, is also resigning to take a job in the private sector.<\/a> He will be replaced by Carlton Williams, a longtime city official who most recently led the Philadelphia Office of Clean and Green Initiatives.<\/p>\n Taken together, the changes represent a significant shift in the top rungs of Philadelphia\u2019s government. The managing director is in charge of implementing much of the mayor\u2019s agenda, and the city solicitor is responsible for a host of matters, including overseeing litigation and advising both the mayor and City Council on legislation and policy.<\/p>\n