Renee Garcia, the top lawyer in Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration, is resigning from her job as city solicitor to work in the private sector, the mayor announced Tuesday.
The reason for Garcia’s departure was not clear Tuesday, and she was not present at a news conference announcing the staff change.
Garcia, who served in the Parker administration since the mayor took office in 2024, has recently led the city’s strategy in several high-profile matters, including a protracted legal battle with President Donald Trump’s administration over slavery exhibits at the President’s House Site at Independence National Historical Park.
In some ways, Garcia carried out Parker’s approach to the Trump administration, which has largely been cautious and conflict-averse. At Garcia’s urging, the mayor did not sign legislation supported by City Council that bans federal immigration enforcement officers from wearing masks in the city. But the legislation took effect without Parker’s signature, and the federal government last month sued the city over the provision.
Garcia will be replaced at the top of the city’s law department by Monique Galloway, who most recently worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Philadelphia. Galloway’s resume also includes stints as counsel at the federal General Services Administration and the Federal Transit Authority.
Parker said Galloway’s experience working in the federal government was a key reason for her selection as the next city solicitor.
“These are challenging times for cities and states as we all have to interact with the federal government,” Parker said. “On any given day, we can never be sure if we’re going to face a legal filing, a summons, or a subpoena out of Washington on a range of different issues.”
She added that Garcia’s law department has been “Philadelphia’s frontline defense on many of these issues.”
Galloway said she was “moved by this moment.”
“Integrity, sound judgment, excellence, and a key focus on public service are who I am,” she said. “And they are the anchor through everything that I do.”
Garcia’s departure was the second major leadership change Parker announced Tuesday. Managing Director Adam K. Thiel, who oversees much of the city’s day-to-day operations, is also resigning to take a job in the private sector. He will be replaced by Carlton Williams, a longtime city official who most recently led the Philadelphia Office of Clean and Green Initiatives.
Taken together, the changes represent a significant shift in the top rungs of Philadelphia’s government. The managing director is in charge of implementing much of the mayor’s agenda, and the city solicitor is responsible for a host of matters, including overseeing litigation and advising both the mayor and City Council on legislation and policy.
Parker also on Tuesday formalized her appointment of Ralph DiPietro, a deputy commissioner in the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections. The administration announced last month that DiPietro would replace Basil L. Merenda as commissioner.
The mayor said Tuesday that she is “excited to welcome this next generation of leadership.”