Farmington Hills council names acting manager Karen Mondora city manager
Mondora, a city employee since 2012, has run Farmington Hills as acting city manager since Gary Mekjian left in January. The council's vote was unanimous, the city said.
By OCJ Staff
Farmington Hills has a permanent city manager again. The City Council unanimously appointed Karen Mondora, who has served as acting city manager since January, according to a city announcement published by the Oakland County Times.
Mondora is the city's eighth city manager. She has been in charge since the council accepted the resignation of City Manager Gary Mekjian at a special meeting in early January, according to the city.
The announcement did not give the date of the council's vote, her start date as permanent manager or the terms of her contract.
Her background
Mondora has worked for Farmington Hills since 2012, according to the city. She was director of public services from 2016 to 2023, overseeing engineering, public works and building maintenance, and became the city's first woman assistant city manager in November 2023.
She is a licensed professional engineer with an environmental engineering degree from Michigan Technological University. She serves on the state's Transportation Asset Management Council.
As city manager she oversees about 980 full- and part-time employees and a budget of more than $85 million for a city of nearly 84,000 people, the city said. It listed the Grand River corridor, public art and community spaces, and the city's strategic and master plans among her priorities.
"I am honored and excited to have this opportunity to serve in this role on behalf of the Farmington Hills community," Mondora said in the announcement.
Sources: City of Farmington Hills announcement, published by the Oakland County Times as "Farmington Hills Names Karen Mondora as New City Manager" (Oct. 28, 2026); City of Farmington Hills, "Statement on City Manager Transition" (Jan. 8, 2026) and city manager page at fhgov.com.