Mayor Mike Johnston Announces Departure of Dominick Moreno

Mayor Mike Johnston Announces Departure of Dominick Moreno

Published on November 10, 2026

Mayor Mike Johnston today announced that Dominick Moreno will depart the role of Deputy Chief Operating Officer at the Mayor's Office and assume the role of Director of the Office of State Planning and Budgeting under Governor-elect Phil Weiser.

"If there is a finer public servant than Dom Moreno I haven't met him," said Mayor Mike Johnston."Over three years I have been fortunate to benefit from Dom's invaluable guidance, his tireless work ethic, and his unending dedication to Denver. Perhaps the only consolation is that he isn't going far - and that his talents will now be put to good use serving not only Denver but our entire state."

Moreno was appointed by Mayor Johnston in September 2023 as Deputy Chief of Staff and then later as Deputy Chief Operating Officer, where he led policy and legislative initiatives at the local, state, regional and federal levels. Most recently, he represented the Mayor's Office in collective bargaining negotiations with city employees.

"I still have the voicemail from Mayor Johnston to see if I would consider coming across the street to work in the Mayor's Office. I'm glad I called back and said yes," said Dominick Moreno. "As I head back across that same street, I leave proud of all we've accomplished together and the knowledge that we've left the city better than we've found it. I am honored that Governor-elect Weiser would select me for such an important role, and ready to get to work."

Moreno first entered public life at the age of 24, becoming the youngest-ever person elected to City Council in Commerce City. He would later represent Commerce City and parts of Adams County in the Colorado House of Representatives for two terms before being elected to the Colorado Senate in 2016. While there, Moreno was selected by colleagues to serve on the state's Joint Budget Committee and served as Senate Majority Leader from Feb. 2022 through Sept. 2023, at which time he resigned to accept a role in the Mayor's Office.

As the Director of the Office of State Planning and Budgeting, Dominick will be responsible for organizing the Governor's budget requests and will partner closely with the Joint Budget Committee and General Assembly.

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