Less than two months in to the Lurie administration, the San Francisco Mayor's Office has let go of a key team member, Communications Director Nina Negusse.

We don't know what happened behind the scenes, but there has already been a staff shakeup in Mayor Daniel Lurie's office. Seasoned public relations expert Nina Negusse is taking her leave, and is being replaced by Lurie's campaign manager Han Zou, as Mission Local is reporting.

Zou was originally appointed to be Lurie's director of public affairs, so that position now appears to be open.

Zou is credited with helping the Lurie campaign in its door-knocking efforts, and winning a significant share of the city's Asian American voters, as Mission Local previously reported.

Negusse's last day was Thursday, and the Mayor's Office put out a statement: "Nina was a valued member of our team, we appreciate her contributions to the administration, and we wish her the best in her future endeavors. Han Zou has been a trusted advisor to the mayor, and we are excited to have him taking on an expanded role leading our communications efforts in addition to his work managing our public affairs team."

The statement was issued by Press Secretary Charles Lutvak, who was Negusse's boss.

The reason for Negusse's ouster may have something to do with pushback from the city's many department heads, who reportedly were given orders to cease putting out press statements and releases of their own. The SF Standard reported on the new rules last week, saying that sources in City Hall were calling the communications team's approach "aggressive rather than collegial," and it was "coming off as micromanaging and overly sensitive to potential criticism."

The Lurie administration made a point at the outset of attempting to consolidate power under four deputy-mayor roles and several other administration figures, including the press secretary and communications director — with the hope of delegating oversight of the city's 50-plus departments and various agencies.

This was not the first time Negusse has worked in SF politics, having previously served for six years as public information officer at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, with a stint at the Department of Elections as well. But prior to joining the Lurie administration, she was vice president of crisis and risk communications at the PR firm Edelman.

Negusse has not yet publicly commented on the departure.

Previously: Lurie Taps Former Giants Executive as Chief of Staff, Announces Other New Hires