The City Council Friday bid a fond farewell to outgoing city coordinator John Moir and welcomed his replacement.

In a unanimous vote, the council approved the appointment of Steven Bosacker, former chief of staff to Governor Jesse Ventura as the new city coordinator, replacing the outgoing John Moir.

Moir, a former finance director who had served as city coordinator during Mayor R.T. Rybak’s first term, was feted by Council Member Paul Ostrow and council president Barbara Johnson before the council meeting. Ostrow lauded Moir’s work on the city’s five-year financial plan, and his work on the One Stop and One Call programs. “You’ve made an incredible contribution to the city,” Ostrow said.

In his remarks, Moir cautioned the council to align its planning and budget priorities and remain fiscally responsible in tough budget times. “You have to have a plan intact and you have to follow through on it,” he said.

Later, after the council had approved the Bosacker hiring, council members broke into applause for the new city coordinator, who was seated near the back of the chambers. This, however, created some confusion, since the applause broke out simultaneously with the announcement by president Johnson that there would be no Zoning and Planning Committee report.

Zoning and Planning Committee chair Gary Schiff acknowledged the applause, but seemed a bit taken aback until he was informed by a nearby colleague about the nature of the celebration. “I thought it was because there was no Z & P report,” he said sheepishly. “I’m a little insulted.”

In other action, the council:
• approved mayoral appointments to the Civil Right Commission;
• accepted $600 from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to fund relocation of an eyewitness in a local murder case;
• authorized a request for proposals to redesign and expand Fire Station No. 17 at 330 E. 38th St.;
• authorized the demolition of the property at 3149 Columbus Ave. S.;
• received a cost estimate of $12.8 million for the reconstruction of Lake Street from Hiawatha Avenue to W. River Road;
• accepted a bid not to exceed $154,800 to repair elevator equipment damaged by a broken fire sprinkler in the city’s parking ramp at 10th St. and Hennepin Avenue;
• authorized a $150,000 increase in the contract with Bituminous Roadways to cover an additional 4,000 tons of hot-mix asphalt needed in 2005;
• approved the terms of a collective bargaining agreement with the International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers, Lodge #77.