Dover Promotes Chris Parker As Next City Manager

The Dover City Council has selected Deputy City Manager Christopher G. Parker as Dover’s next city manager, effective Jan. 1, 2027.

Parker will succeed City Manager J. Michael Joyal Jr., who announced in July that he will retire effective Dec. 31 after more than 33 years of service to the city, including the last 21 years as city manager.

Following Joyal’s announcement, the City Council opened an internal search process, accepted applications from current city employees, interviewed candidates and reviewed their qualifications.

A resolution confirming Parker’s appointment and approving an employment agreement is expected to be on the agenda for the City Council’s next regular meeting this Wednesday.

Parker has served the city for nearly three decades. A Dover native and resident, he began his municipal career as an intern in the Planning Department in 1997 and became a city employee in 1998.