Berkeley’s new interim city manager fielded questions from the North East Berkeley Association at a public meeting Oct. 22, 2015. Photo: Natalie Orenstein
New to Berkeley and even newer to her role as interim city manager, Dee Williams-Ridley gave residents one of their first chances to get to know her last week at a public forum hosted by the North East Berkeley Association at the Northbrae Community Church.
Questions at the Oct. 22 event from moderators and the public covered a range of issues facing Berkeley, including the minimum wage, city employee salaries, and the NAACP’s recommendation for the creation of a city department that would handle race and equity issues. Throughout the evening, Williams-Ridley took a mostly friendly and humorous, but at times assertive, tone, telling the audience that she had been warned they would be “tough.” She declined to answer some questions, including about potential future ballot measures, saying several times that she is not responsible for policy decisions.
Williams-Ridley inherits the city from Christine Daniel, who abruptly left her post in July for a job with the city of Oakland. The city council appointed Williams-Ridley, who had been deputy city manager since January, to fill the position. An Alabama native and graduate of California State University, Sacramento, Williams-Ridley previously worked as deputy city manager of Modesto for four years. She commutes to her current job from Sacramento and said she spends the night in Berkeley once or twice a week. She receives a salary of $225,000.(...)
Read the rest of Interim city manager talks pensions, parks and perks (874 words)
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Post tags: Barbara Gilbert, Berkeley city budget, Berkeley city pensions, Berkeley minimum wage, Berkeley pension liabilities, Calpers, Dee Williams-Ridley, Isabelle Gaston, LeConte Neighborhood Association, NAACP, NEBA, North Berkeley, North East Berkeley Association