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Stockton council accepts city manager's resignation, names deputy as acting manager after public opposition
Summary
After a 20-minute public comment period in which residents urged the council not to remove the city manager, the Stockton City Council voted 7-0 to accept the city manager's resignation under a separation agreement that includes $67,403 in compensation and named Deputy City Manager Will Crew acting city manager.
The Stockton City Council reported it voted 7-0 to accept the city manager's resignation and approved a separation agreement that includes $67,403 in compensation and a mutual non-disparagement clause; the council also named Deputy City Manager Will Crew as acting city manager effective immediately.
The action was announced after the council recessed into closed session. City Attorney (unnamed in the report) said the separation terms were consistent with section 5.02 of the manager's employment contract, that the manager's last day would be in February 2025, and that the manager would use leave covering 01/09/2025 through 02/28/2025. The agreement includes a waiver of claims in exchange for cooperation with future EOC claims arising during his tenure, the attorney said.
The votes followed a short public comment period capped at 20 minutes, during which several residents and community leaders urged the council to reconsider removing the city manager and others raised concerns about transparency and contract procedures.
Dan Wright, a former council member, praised "the City Manager's leadership" during COVID-19 and subsequent unrest and urged the council to "make these decisions with great care." Pandora Crowder, another resident, objected to the timing of the special meeting (posted less than 24 hours earlier) and said council members who had not previously attended the chambers should not displace experienced staff. Julie Dunning said she had "increasingly concerned and frustrated over the lack of transparency, accountability and responsiveness from the city manager's office," and pointed to an earlier Dec. 10 meeting when she said the manager advanced a contract extension without providing evidence of alleged threats to the full council.
Bobby Bivens, president of the Stockton branch of the NAACP, told the council the manager had helped the city avoid financial trouble, improved services and recruited an experienced police chief, and said he was opposed to removing the manager. Trina Turner framed the vote as an optics problem, saying she was disheartened that the first potential action of the new council appeared to be removing a Black city manager.
After the report out the mayor adjourned the meeting.
What the council approved: the city attorney reported a 7-0 vote accepting the manager's resignation in lieu of a no-cause termination and approving a separation agreement that included $67,403 in compensation and leave use through Feb. 28, 2025. The council also voted 7-0 to name Will Crew, the deputy city manager, as acting city manager effective immediately.
Next steps: The council did not announce additional public hearings on the matter during the meeting; the separation agreement includes a cooperation clause for any future claims, and the city manager's leave and final date fall in January-February 2025.
