BERKELEY — Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates is asking the City Council to approve his nomination of Deputy City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley to be interim city manager to replace Christine Daniel, who suddenly announced her resignation on June 2 and will leave her post on July 24.
Bates said his nomination of Williams-Ridley will go before the City Council at meeting on July 14. Her appointment would be effective July 25.
Daniel is leaving her post to be an assistant city administrator in Oakland, where she has lived for 25 years. She has been Berkeley’s city administrator since November 2011.
Williams-Ridley became Berkeley’s deputy city manager in February after serving for four years as deputy city manager in Modesto, where she oversaw human resources, public information, information technology, public
works and community and economic development.
She previously served as Modesto’s human resources director, an assistant director of human resources for San Mateo County and as personnel services manager for Sacramento County.
Bates said in a statement that, “Ms. Williams-Ridley would be stepping up for an important role.”
He said, “Her executive experience, skill in fostering effective teamwork, and strong commitment to public service and community engagement have made a very favorable impression at city hall.”
Bates said he is recommending an annual salary of $225,000 for Williams-Ridley, which he said would match Daniel’s salary, plus a $1,600 housing allowance.
Bates also expressed appreciation for Daniels’s service, saying she “is one of the most capable public servants I have worked with in my long career.”
Daniel is scheduled to begin her new job in Oakland on Aug. 10.