Mayor Chris Coleman today (March 3, 3017) announced that he has appointed Ben Petok to the position of senior communications advisor. Petok, currently communications director for U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger, brings more than a decade of public affairs and communications experience to the job and will assume his duties in the Mayor’s Office on March 6, 2017.
“I am excited for Ben to bring his extensive experience in communications and dedication to public service to my administration,” said Mayor Coleman. “I have no doubt he will be an incredible asset as we work to tell Saint Paul’s story and finish strong here at City Hall.”
Since 2014, Petok has led the communications efforts of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota. In addition to serving as communications director, he was selected by his peers around the country to serve on a working group of communications professionals within the Department of Justice (DOJ). In that capacity, he conducted media trainings for DOJ professional staff and Presidentially-appointed United States Attorneys. He previously worked and volunteered on a number of city and federal campaigns in New York and Maryland.
"It is a great privilege to join Mayor Coleman's team in City Hall," said Petok. "The Mayor's economic stewardship, vision and history of working with local, state and regional partners make Saint Paul a capital city that all Minnesotans can be proud of. I look forward to being part of the team to help put an exclamation point on Mayor Coleman's successful tenure leading Saint Paul."
Petok is a graduate of Skidmore College and the University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law. He grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and currently lives in Minneapolis with his wife Jessica and his two children.