City of Topeka | Office of the City Manager

Norton N. Bonaparte, Jr. was appointed city manager of Topeka, Kansas effective March 2006. As city manager he serves as the city’s chief executive officer, responsible to the Mayor and City Council for managing the day-to-day operations of the city's 1400 employees and $190 million budget.

His duties include:

Review and oversee department operations and all personnel functions,
Recommend the city's operating and capital budget,
Administer the adopted budget and capital improvement programs,
Prepare City Council meeting agenda,
Monitor state and federal legislation,
Act as liaison with citizens, businesses, community organizations, and governmental agencies.

Prior to Topeka, Mr. Bonaparte served as the city administrator of Plainfield, New Jersey, the city business administrator of the City of Camden, New Jersey, the township manager of Willingboro, New Jersey, and the city manager of Glenarden, Maryland.

Mr. Bonaparte has also served as the director of Program Development for the American Society for Public Administration, assistant director for Program Operations of the East Coast Migrant Head Start Program, assistant to the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan, local government consultant for the University of Maryland and as a management consultant for the United States Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Government Accountability Office.

Mr. Bonaparte has taught graduate courses in Public Management at Rutgers University and undergraduate courses in management at National-Louis University’s School of Management and Business. He was a member of the American Association of University Professors. He currently is a principal instructor for the University of Kansas’ Emerging Leaders Academy.

Mr. Bonaparte is a member of the International City/County Management Association and served as the chair of its “Managers who Teach” subcommittee. He is also a member of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators. He has been elected president of both the New Jersey Municipal Management Association and the Maryland City/County Management Association. In addition, Mr. Bonaparte has served as the chairperson of the Professional Municipal Management Joint Insurance Fund and the New Jersey Environmental Joint Insurance Fund, and as vice chairperson of the New Jersey Municipal Self Insurers’ Joint Insurance Fund. He has served on the board of directors for the Prince George's County (Maryland), Burlington County (New Jersey), and Tri-County (New Jersey) chapters of the American Red Cross and currently serves on the board for the Kansas Capital Area Red Cross.

Mr. Bonaparte is a GO Topeka board member and a member of Stormont-Vail Hospital’s Community Advisory Council and the Downtown Topeka Rotary Club.

Mr. Bonaparte holds a Bachelor of Science in Urban Studies from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a Masters in Public Administration from Cornell University's Graduate School of Business.