John McCarthy, the chief finance officer for the city of St. Paul, is leaving City Hall after 18 years.
McCarthy has been named as the new chief financial officer of the League of Minnesota Cities, the state’s largest municipal membership association. He will join the league on June 2, replacing current CFO Mark Ruff, who announced his decision to step down earlier this year.
The league represents more than 830 member cities through advocacy, education, training and policy development. McCarthy will oversee all of the league’s financial reporting, accounting, budgeting and accounts payable. He has worked for the city’s Office of Financial Services since 2007 and has served as the city’s chief financial officer since 2019.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said plans for “interim leadership” will be announced in coming weeks.
“For nearly 20 years, Director McCarthy has poured his heart into serving this community,” said St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, in a written statement. “From intern to Director, he’s been a trusted partner and steady hand in building St. Paul’s strength and stability — helping raise our city to the highest possible AAA stable credit rating. I wish him well and look forward to working with him in his new role.”
On Wednesday, the St. Paul City Council officially swore in Jay Willms as director of city council operations. Willms, who was previously a principal fiscal analyst with Ramsey County and before that delivered nonpartisan budget analysis for the state Senate, had served since June 2023 as the council’s chief budget officer.
He replaces Brynn Hausz, who was director of city council operations until transitioning into a different role for the city in November 2024. Willms had served as the interim director since that time.
