Robert Barr to join City Manager’s office as new Deputy Manager

The City and Borough of Juneau is pleased to announce that Robert Barr will join the City Manager’s Office in July as the new Deputy City Manager. Barr will take over after current Deputy Manager Mila Cosgrove retires at the end of July.

Barr is currently the Juneau Public Libraries Director. He’s been in that position since 2013 and recently received a national award from the American Library Association for innovation and service. Barr continues to serve as Planning Section Chief of the Emergency Operations Center where he’s played a crucial role in the COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts.

“I am very excited to bring Robert into the Manager’s office. He has been a fantastic CBJ Department Director and his skills have become very visible to the public over the last year as he’s been a pivotal figure in Juneau’s pandemic response,” City Manager Rorie Watt said. “Fortunately, he wears a size 14 and may, over time, be able to fill Mila’s big shoes.”

Cosgrove has served as Deputy City Manager since 2016. Prior to that, she was CBJ’s Human Resources and Risk Management Director for 10 years. During the ongoing pandemic, Cosgrove has led the Emergency Operations Center as Incident Commander.

CBJ will be recruiting nationally for the Juneau Public Libraries Director position.

For more information, contact City Manager Rorie Watt at 586-5240 or [email protected].