One mayoral candidate would keep Sacramento city manager around. The other would not
If elected Sacramento mayor, Assemblyman Kevin McCarty would seek to extend City Manager Howard Chan’s contract for another year, while his opponent Flojaune Cofer would not.
The new mayor and council will be faced with the big contract extension decision just minutes after they are sworn in on Dec. 10. During a Sacramento Bee and KVIE debate Wednesday, both for the first time publicly said what they would do.
Cofer said that if she’s elected, she would do an extensive review of Chan’s performance and interview many of his staff — a task she won’t be able to complete by Dec. 31, when his contract ends, she said.
“If we don’t make the decision as a new council by the end of the year, the city manager has made it clear he wants an extension for a year and he will quit,” said Cofer, adding that she recently discussed the topic with Chan. “It’s clear there’s challenges there, and I think it’s time for a fresh start. The city needs new leadership. We don’t have to be afraid to say that out loud. That’s where we are as a city. It’s time.”
McCarty, a former councilman who worked with Chan when he was an assistant city manager, said he wanted to keep Chan as city manager through Dec. 31, 2025.
“We need stability at city hall,” McCarty said. “I support having the city manager stick around one more year ... I have worked with Howard Chan before the in past when I was a council member. He’s a fine public servant. I can work with him in the first year. I think it’s important we have continuity in the early days.”
McCarty would not support a raise for Chan, however, he said.
“We have the highest paid executive in the state running the city and now we’re facing a deficit,” McCarty said. “We shouldn’t talk about increasing peoples’ salaries who are already well compensated when we are going to be talking about potentially trimming down some city departments. So that should be off the table.”
Chan’s contract and salary have been controversial for years, and its come to a head in recent weeks. The decision over whether to keep Chan will also be up to the rest of the council.
Chan could work without a contract but had requested the council extend his contract to Dec. 31, 2025, Mayor Darrell Steinberg said earlier this month. The council instead voted 7-2 to punt that decision to the next mayor and council. The council also removed a clause from Chan’s contract that says if he is going to quit, he has to give a 60-day notice or he loses the ability to effectively stay on city payroll for the next year.
The contract extension does not include a salary raise, though other aspects of compensation are affected. Chan earned $593,240 in total wages last year — more than Gov. Gavin Newsom and any other city manager in the state.
The council in December awarded Chan a raise, then rescinded it in January after The Bee reported the council had violated the Brown Act, the state’s transparency law.
Later in the debate, the two candidates again sparred over whether to put homeless shelters in park properties.
In closing remarks, Cofer highlighted her experience as a public health professional and also her support from the Sacramento City Teachers Association and California Nurses Association.
“I’m excited to work with people across Sacramento. People who have felt their voices have been unheard,” Cofer said. “There’s a bright future for Sacramento when we work together.”
McCarty highlighted his experience as an elected official and his support from the police and firefighter unions.
“We have big challenges but I know I’m ready to lean in to tackle problems big and small,” McCarty said. “That’s what I’ve always done.”
The election will be held Nov. 5. The new mayor will take office, along with two new council members, on Dec. 10.
This story was originally published October 23, 2024 at 3:52 PM.
