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The City Manager serves as the city’s chief executive officer and is responsible for providing professional leadership in the administration and implementation of all city operations and the policies, goals and vision set forth by the Mayor and City Council.
In fulfilling his responsibilities, the City Manager strives to develop cost-effective and innovative ways to implement the prescribed goals of Topeka, including its Budget and Capital Improvements Program (CIP).
In addition, the City Manager ensures equitable enforcement of the city's ordinances and oversees the operations of the City’s 1,400 employees and $207 million budget. Norton N. Bonaparte, Jr. was appointed the City Manager of Topeka in March 2006. He brings over 20 years of City Manager experience. Prior to Topeka, Bonaparte served as the city administrator of Plainfield, New Jersey, the city business administrator of the City of Camden, New Jersey, the township manager of Willingboro, New Jersey, and the city manager of Glenarden, Maryland.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a Masters in Public Administration from Cornell University’s Graduate School of Business.
Bonaparte is a member of the International City/County Management Association and serves on its “Managers who Teach” committee. He currently serves as a principal instructor for the University of Kansas’ Emerging Leaders Academy. Bonaparte is also a member of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, and the Kansas Association of City/County Management. He has been elected president of both the New Jersey Municipal Management Association and the Maryland City/County Management Association.
At the community level, he is involved in various organizations including the United Way of Greater Topeka, the Kansas Capital Area Red Cross Board of Directors, Stormont-Vail Hospital’s Community Advisory Council, Downtown Topeka Rotary Club and Heartland Visioning.
