Stockton City Manager Harry Black has resigned from his post to avoid being fired by the City Council.
Black is poised to receive more than $400,000 in severance pay and benefits from the city. His last day of employment will be Feb. 28, though he will be on leave effective immediately, for which the city will compensate him.
The council unanimously approved Black’s resignation following a special closed session meeting Thursday evening that lasted nearly three hours. He voluntarily left his post in lieu of a “no-cause” firing, with both parties also agreeing not to disparage each other.
Deputy City Manager Will Crew was unanimously appointed to step in for Black as the city searches for a permanent replacement.
“We thank Harry Black for his service to our city, our community and to our residents,” Mayor Christina Fugazi said in a news release following Thursday’s meeting. “We wish Harry the very best in all his future endeavors.”
In turn, Black is quoted in the same release as saying that he was “honored and pleased” to have worked for Stockton and its residents for the last five years.
“I want to thank the mayor, city council, the residents and businesses of Stockton for allowing me the distinction and honor to have served the people of this wonderful city,” Black said.
Black was hired in early 2020 just before California mandated a statewide lockdown during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. His tenure with the city was marked by both successes and controversies.
In August, the City Council extended Black’s contract another four years following a positive performance review and gave him an 8% pay raise.
However, four new representatives officially took their seats on the City Council dais this week, including a new mayor. The event marked a changing of the guard on the seven-member governing board following the 2024 election.
Taking up the issue of whether the city manager’s employment should continue marked the first big-ticket item the council has tackled since its new members took office Jan. 1. …
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Cassie Dickman 