A top member of Mayor Allan Fung’s administration has departed, with his post to be filled by a key figure from the mayor’s gubernatorial campaign last year.

In a Monday statement, Fung announced that Gerald Cordy has retired at the city’s director of administration, effective Jan. 16. He had previously served as deputy director of administration, and was appointed director in July 2011.

Cordy will be replaced by Robert Coupe, a corporate attorney in private practice who brings what Fung’s statement describes as “substantial experience in both state and federal government,” including serving as an assistant general council in the Executive Office of Health and Humans Services under former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

“I am extremely grateful for Director Cordy’s hard work and dedication to the City of Cranston,” Fung said through the statement. “Jerry has served our residents with honor and professionalism throughout his six years of service, both as Deputy Director and as Director of Administration. He played an essential role in our success making city government more efficient and helped to obtain significant state and federal support for mitigation efforts following the devastating 2010 floods.”

Coupe is a native Rhode Islander, and has lived in Cranston with his family for roughly a decade.

“I am pleased to welcome Rob Coupe to the position of Director of Administration and I am confident that he will serve the residents of our city well,” the mayor said through the statement. “I selected him because he offers the right combination of strong public policy experience with a private-sector commitment to promoting greater efficiency and accountability in city government.”