Could Stockton City Council be considering another leadership change? This week’s meeting agenda includes two items that indicate a possible change in the city manager’s position.
During council’s closed session Tuesday evening, an item scheduled to discuss the possible discipline, dismissal or release of a public employee is immediately followed by the appointment of another public employee, with the position listed as “City Manager.”
This is the same combination of agenda items that led to the ousting of former City Manager Harry Black earlier this year. There is also about a month left for the council-imposed deadline to hire a new city manager.
Black resigned in January in lieu of being fired. Steve Colangelo, a longtime event planner and former CEO of the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, was appointed interim city manager a few weeks later, taking over the reins of acting City Manager Will Crew, who serves as a deputy city manager for the city.
The council’s choice of Colangelo was controversial, receiving both support and ire from the community.
Colangelo was hired out of the blue with no obvious hiring process or indication that other outside candidates had been considered.
Some councilmembers had also never even seen Colangelo’s resume before he was appointed as the city’s top executive and took issue with his lack of municipal government experience. But the voting majority pushed through his hiring, led by Mayor Christina Fugazi and Vice Mayor Jason Lee, even shutting down council discussions mid comment from those on the dais who opposed Colangelo’s contract approval.
The serial political candidate, who has run several unsuccessful election campaigns, including for Stockton City Council, lacks a four-year degree and has never worked in city government. All Stockton’s former city managers — permanent, acting and interim — aside from Colangelo have met those minimum qualifications in at least the last 25 years
Colangelo’s time at the fairgrounds was also marred by a state audit that found troubling financial practices during his tenure.
His time with the city has also not been without controversy. An investigation by Stocktonia revealed that Colangelo had hired another city manager as a consultant for $11,000 a month — on top of the $22,000 monthly salary Colangelo receives — to help him do his job. It was also later revealed that the consulting contract had been paid for by money previously allocated to diversity, equity and inclusion support.
Employment-related discussions by the council are held behind closed doors during what’s known as a closed session. Only actions taking, such as hiring or firing a city manager, are required to be announced. So the public won’t be privy to Tuesday’s closed session deliberations.
The council previously told the public it expected to have a permanent city manager to be in place by early August, which is just around the corner.
Mayor ‘unilaterally’ shuts down ad hoc committee for city manager search
City Council is also scheduled to discuss the mayor’s move to shut down an ad hoc created to find the city’s next city manager.
A resolution was passed by the council in early February to establish the Ad Hoc Committee for City Manager Selection following the January resignation of Black. The mayor appointed Lee and Enríquez to serve with her on the committee.
The committee’s purpose was described in the approved resolution as “to choose a recruiter and recommend candidates to interview before the full Council.” Because the ad hoc committee was established via council resolution, meaning a majority of councilmembers voted to approve its creation, it would typically take another majority vote by council to approve any changes to the committee or its mission.
Creation of the ad hoc committee was unanimously approved by council, including the mayor.
However, Enríquez and Lee were notified the ad hoc committee had been dissolved via email in late May, according to Enríquez. If the committee is dissolved, it will be up to the mayor and a hiring firm to present candidates to the council. This gives councilmembers only a few finalists to vote on in the end stages of the hiring process.
City Council policy says only a majority vote by the full council can make changes to its subcommittees.
Council committees are made up of no more than three councilmembers, the purpose of which are “to provide detailed analysis and study matters, including obtaining public input, which are referred to the Committee by the City Council or Council appointees and to provide the full City Council with a report on its findings and recommendations.”
Ad hoc committees are established by the mayor via council agreement, “with appointments to be made by the Mayor based on the expertise and expressed interest of the Councilmembers.” Changes to any council committee’s makeup of members after it’s been created must also be confirmed by council resolution. Council resolutions are passed by council with a majority vote.
Terms for an ad hoc committee cannot be longer than one year unless extended by council resolution, according to council policy, and the Stockton City Charter does not grant the mayor sole power to dissolve council committees.
The City Charter says ad hoc committees that “may be necessary or desirable to advise and assist in the work of the City Council” are to be appointed by the mayor “with the advice and consent of council.” Ad hoc committees meant to assist the mayor in their work do not need council approval when created.
Fugazi has given several reasons for her wanting to dissolve the committee, while also asserting she has the right to do so, including publicly accusing Enríquez of violating California open meetings laws.
City Attorney Lori Asuncion also clarified at an Audit Committee meeting last month that resolutions passed by council vote can only be modified in the same way.
“Any information or any direction that’s contained in a resolution passed by council can only be rescinded or amended by the council,” Asuncion said when questioned on the issue by Vice Mayor Lee, who chairs the committee.
However, Fugazi has said that she spoke to the city attorney and stands by her actions.
In part, the mayor stated: “(The city attorney) said I could have dissolved it by bringing it back to council, but she is not aware of any legal obligation to do so given that the purpose of said committee stems from a charter obligation that is solely within my authority.”
The charter says that it’s the mayor’s job to nominate candidates for city manager to the full council for consideration. It is the council’s job to ultimately hire a city manager.