Following a two-week delay, the St. Paul City Council has seated Melanie McMahon as the new director of the city’s department of Planning and Economic Development, as well as Ia Xiong as the new director of the Department of Safety and Inspections, succeeding Angie Wiese.

Mayor Kaohly Her announced this month she had chosen the two career public servants to lead the departments, which are both intimately involved with business development and commercial and residential real estate, but McMahon’s appointment was put on hold on May 13 following objections from Council Members Cheniqua Johnson and Anika Bowie.

Following heavy campaigning by a wide cast of public officials, the council confirmed McMahon’s appointment by a vote of 6-1 on Wednesday, with Johnson — who chairs the city’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority — voting with the majority, leaving only Bowie opposed. The vote drew applause from the audience.

“I’m excited to be the PED director and continue to move forward housing, development and economic growth in the city,” said McMahon, in a written statement Wednesday evening.

McMahon was interim director

McMahon, a nine-year City Hall staffer who has been closely involved in the Highland Bridge project and development around Allianz Field, has served as the interim PED director since the departure of Nicolle Newton last September. Her nomination had garnered the public support of the majority of the city council, former Mayor Chris Coleman, the presidents of the St. Paul Port Authority and St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, and other former co-workers and employers.“I have full confidence in her abilities,” said Council President Rebecca Noecker on Wednesday, shortly before voting on her appointment. “We have a lot of work to do in economic development, and we need someone skilled in that position, so I’m excited that she’s being appointed.”

Council Member Saura Jost, who represents Highland Park, where the Highland Bridge development is located, noted McMahon has “worked with so many different councils and mayors. I just really appreciate her ability to get things done.”

Bowie, who cast the sole “no” vote, said that during the two week layover, she had not been able to connect with the mayor’s office around McMahon’s appointment, in part because of the Memorial Day weekend.

“Historically … there were literal neighborhoods that were left out of decision-making,” said Bowie, calling her position a vote for better racial representation. “I think this is a really incredibly example of an all-woman council, a woman mayor, a Hmong woman mayor, making the decision and actually, actively, in democracy having the dialogue, even if we’re not all on the same page. … This is not anything personal. And as a woman of color, I even hate … having to explain myself.”

Explaining her earlier decision to delay the appointment, Johnson noted the PED director also serves as the director of the city’s HRA, which oversees the city’s involvement in housing, commercial and business development, often by selling vacant land or issuing loans, grants and bonds for developers. Each member of the seven-member council has a vote on the HRA, and a responsibility to ensure the fit makes sense, she said.

“The previous appointment was a national search,” Johnson said, noting that in choosing Newton six years ago, “the council members were invited to engage with the search consultant to help inform the process, all the way down to the questions that were asked for that particular appointment … It was a huge level of collaboration that simply did not happen in this instance.”

“My request for the layover was never rooted in opposition to Director McMahon or her leadership,” Johnson added. “I appreciate that time that’s been given.”

Xiong succeeds Wiese

Xiong, a licensed engineer and career public servant with a background in transportation infrastructure, will take over the role from Wiese, a third-generation city employee who has served as DSI director since 2022. Wiese will remain with the department in an administrative leadership role, according to the mayor’s office.

Xiong recently served as the director of Transportation Initiatives, as well as Transit and Parking director, for the city of Rochester, where she led Rochester’s $38 million infrastructure program and helped advance the LINK Bus Rapid Transit project.

Xiong brings “more than 25 years of public-sector leadership experience overseeing complex transportation, infrastructure, regulatory, and operational systems across local and regional government,” said the mayor’s office, in a written statement.

Xiong backed fleet-electrification initiatives, managed state and federal transportation grants and compliance programs, and guided the evolution of Transit and Parking into a standalone department for Rochester, according to the mayor’s office.

At the Metropolitan Council, the seven-county metro’s regional planning agency, she established the council’s Real Estate Office. Prior to that, she directed Road and Bridge Operations for Hennepin County.

DSI, which maintains roughly 150 employees, certifies more than 4,000 residential and commercial buildings annually, processes more than 32,000 permits, and issues more than 200 types of business licenses. The department includes Animal Services, which provides care each year for more than 2,000 dogs, cats and assorted critters at the city shelter.

DSI also oversees the city’s central information line — (651) 266-8989 — which responds to inquiries from some 80,000 customers annually.