BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Two high-ranking employees working for the City of Bellingham have been let go.

The city confirmed in an email to MyBellinghamNow.com that Mayor Kim Lund dismissed Public Works Director Eric Johnston and Human Resources Director Elizabeth Monahan on Monday, July 29.

Mayor Lund said in a statement that the dismissals are part of a “strategic change in leadership” to support the city’s ability to “work better as a team.” She added that the decisions were not connected to any specific actions or one event.

Johnston was hired to head the Public Works department in May 2020 after serving on an interim basis in the preceding months. Monahan was hired in May 2021 to lead a team of human resource professionals and serve on the mayor’s executive-level department head team.

Mayor Lund says the city is working to find interim directors for both departments and expects to begin recruiting as soon as possible.

The dismissals are the second notable employment move made by Mayor Lund in recent weeks, after hiring two new deputy administrators earlier this month.