Kate Johnson will assume the role as Aspen city attorney after her predecessor, Jim True, announced his retirement in December.
The Aspen City Council appointed Johnson as city attorney during its meeting Tuesday. She has been assistant city attorney since 2020.
“I feel really grateful that I’ve had the ability to learn from such a great … city attorney,” Johnson said of True during the meeting. “I want the public to know I am committed to serving this community and doing my best to provide the best legal support to council and staff. Jim’s been here for 13 years, and I hope I have a long tenure with you all.”
Johnson has been licensed to practice law in Colorado for over 15 years and has served as counsel for local governments in the Roaring Fork Valley and Aspen for the last 15 years.
The city council decided in December to pursue an internal candidate to replace True, who announced his retirement after 17 years of legal work with the city. At the time, True said he planned to leave his post in February, when his latest contract with the city expired.
During its Feb. 11 meeting, the city council approved an amendment to True’s contract to transition from his position as city attorney to special counsel. The contract was extended to April 6, and his employment will continue on an at-will basis within the city attorney’s office afterward.
Johnson’s contract begins March 9. She will be paid $245,000 annually.
Johnson’s appointment comes amid other leadership changes at the city. Council members approved a separation agreement with City Manager Sara Ott during its Tuesday meeting.
Ott’s last day with the city will be Friday. She took the helm of the city in September 2019 when the council promoted her from assistant city manager.
The city council conducts annual evaluations of the city manager’s performance at the end of the year. Since November, the city council has held a number of executive sessions to discuss the city manager review and contract discussions, one as recently as Feb. 11.
Deputy City Manager Diane Foster is currently acting city manager. According to a city news release, the council will outline a plan for the recruitment and selection process of a new city manager in the coming weeks.
“(Ott) guided us through COVID, and we made a great deal of progress under her tenure here,” said Councilman John Doyle.
