Stockton city government is facing another possible shakeup as City Council looks to reappoint its embattled interim city manager and potentially oust its city attorney.
Steve Colangelo could be making a comeback as Stockton’s chief executive following a short stint of being replaced in the job by Deputy City Manager Will Crew.
The council voted unanimously last month to reappoint Crew as acting city manager until a new interim city manager contract could be agendized at its next meeting, which is Tuesday. Crew will officially step into the role starting Saturday, the day Colangelo’s current six-month contract with the city is scheduled to expire.
Initially, it was unclear if the “new contract” would be for Colangelo or another potential candidate. There was also no explanation as to why the council decided to let Colangelo’s contract expire rather than just renewing or extending it. As these decisions were made during a closed session, there was no public discussion on the matter.
Tuesday’s meeting agenda shows that council will consider reappointing Colangelo during closed session and then a new three-month contract during public session. Colangelo’s salary is set to remain the same at just under $21,000 per month.
If Colangelo’s appointment and contract are approved, Crew will likely only serve as acting city manager for a few days, though the new contract does not specify a start date. It will also be the fourth time the city has changed leadership this year. Crew briefly served as acting city manager in January following the forced resignation of former City Manager Harry Black before Colangelo was appointed Feb. 4.
Colangelo likely won’t have full council support to continue as interim. His initial appointment was by a 4-3 vote. He has also continued to face controversy and criticism from several on the council, including his once-supporter Vice Mayor Jason Lee.
Lee, who voted to appoint Colangelo earlier this year, has since emerged as his harshest critic in the last few months, including accusing him just this week of possible budgetary fraud and other unethical behavior.
At a joint press conference Wednesday with fellow Councilmember Mario Enríquez, Lee said he’d support Crew in continuing as acting city manager until a permanent candidate can be found, praising his experience and describing him as an “asset” to the city’s leadership team.
“Will is a stellar employee who has done phenomenal work in all areas of this city. I’ve grown to respect him and his integrity. But more importantly, Will, I believe, is the bridge to bring our staff together to be able to help this council stay united and to continue to move the work forward,” Lee said at the press conference while standing outside City Hall. “I can’t speak to Will if he wants to do it until then or not. There’s a lot of mess behind me that has to be cleaned up.”
This marked a significant change in rhetoric from Lee.
In January, several members on the council and the public were concerned about Colangelo’s lack of experience. Lee had argued that it was a non issue.
“I don’t care who sits in that chair. They could be Ronald McDonald, they can put a clown, they can put a rocket scientist,” Lee said at the time. “Whoever sits in that chair will be fired if they don’t do the will of the board of directors that comes directly from the stakeholders.”
Originally set for this week, City Council has pushed back its self-imposed deadline for hiring a permanent city manager. The job posting went live just this week and candidate interviews are scheduled for early October, according to council documents.
Not a typical choice
Colangelo was a controversial and unconventional choice for Stockton’s interim city manager when he was hired in February.
The long-time event planner and serial political candidate, including a failed bid for Stockton City Council, lacked the education and experience in municipal government typically required for the role, which concerned both the public and some councilmembers.
Colangelo’s time as CEO of the San Joaquin Fairgrounds was also marred by a scathing state audit detailing sweeping financial accountability issues and other problems before he made a sudden exit.
Concerns over his education and work history were tempered at the time with assurances by some on the City Council, including Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi and Vice Mayor Lee, that Colangelo was the right choice for the position and would only serve as Stockton’s city manager temporarily until a permanent replacement could be found.
“Steve isn’t a career bureaucrat, and that’s exactly why he’s the right choice for Stockton,” Fugazi said in a press release announcing Colangelo’s appointment. “His deep commitment to our city and proven leadership make him the best person to take on this critical role.”
Colangelo’s contract states that he has represented “the necessary and specialized experience, skills, and expertise required to serve as the City’s Interim City Manager.”
However, his current resume doesn’t seem to fit the listed qualifications the council wants its next permanent city manager to possess, including “7 to 10 years of experience as a Chief Executive, Assistant/Deputy Chief Executive or Department Head in a government agency of comparable complexity and size (to Stockton); experience working with elected officials; and a Bachelor’s degree.”
The ad also says a master’s degree in public administration or a related field is preferred, among other listed skills.
Lee voted to appoint Colangelo the first time around, but he has since changed his tune.
Interim’s tenure has been controversial
However, Colengelo’s tenure as interim city manager and the council’s search for a permanent choice have also not been without their own controversy.
Ire from both the public and some councilmembers was ignited earlier this year after an investigation by Stocktonia revealed that Colangelo had hired another city manager for $11,000 per month of public money to help him do his job. It was also later reported that the money used to pay for the contract had been reallocated from funds meant for diversity, equity and inclusion support. City officials announced the contract was terminated a short time later.
Councilmembers have also sparred publicly over the city manager search, including the dissolution of an ad hoc search committee and accusations of law breaking and political retaliation, as well as with Colangelo himself.
Just this week Colangelo faced off with Vice Mayor Lee and Councilmember Enríquez over mutual accusations of wrongdoing.
Among other complaints, Lee and Enríquez say Colangelo likely committed budgetary fraud and has bullied staff for speaking out when they have concerns. Both have said they would be requesting the allegations be referred to the California attorney general’s office. Colangelo has not yet responded to Stocktonia’s request for comment on the issue.
In turn, the interim city manager announced an investigation had been launched into how $50,000 of city funds to support a comedy show event back in May that vice mayor participated in was disbursed without his knowledge or approval and, additionally, “whether boundaries between policymaking and administration were crossed,” referencing Lee’s involvement without using his name.
Lee has denied he’s done anything wrong or that he profited from the event, saying that the funding approval followed the proper protocols and previous precedent.
A new city attorney?
The closed session agenda for City Council’s upcoming meeting indicates that City Attorney Lori Asuncion’s job may be in trouble.
The city attorney is listed for a performance evaluation. The next item does not list a specific employee/position but indicates a public employee dismissal, discipline or release followed by the appointment of another public employee — the city attorney.
A similar combination and order of agenda items (possible dismissal to appointment) were listed on the agenda back in January when former City Manager Black resigned in lieu of being fired.
Since the items will be discussed in closed session and related to employment, the public is not privy to the deliberations. State law requires only actions taken during closed session, such as the hiring or firing of a city attorney, are required to be publicly announced.