Fresno City Council names new city clerk after controversial firing
The Fresno City Council voted Thursday to appoint Todd Stermer as the new city clerk on Nov. 15.
The announcement comes five months after the city council on a split vote fired longtime former City Clerk Yvonne Spence, sparking outcry from many Black leaders in the city. Since then, Briana Parra has served as interim city clerk.
Stermer, who has worked for the city for 15 years, currently works as a senior budget analyst with the city. He previously worked as assistant city clerk, when he helped modernize and streamline the online agenda system, campaign finance system and the clerk’s part of the online document management system.
Stermer earned his doctorate in law from San Joaquin College of Law, his master’s degree in public administration from Fresno State and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. Stermer also is certified to be a municipal clerk from the Institute of Municipal Clerks.
The City Clerk’s Office is one of the smallest city departments. It’s also one of two department director positions the City Council hires, with the other being the city attorney. The clerk’s office is responsible for managing political and campaign filings, public record archives and preservation and producing public meeting agendas and minutes. The clerk is also the city’s elections official.
Council President Luis Chavez praised Stermer’s resume.
“We believe that Todd Stermer is the right person to take the department to the next level,” Chavez said. “He is well-rounded and qualified. My colleagues and I look forward to working with him to serve the residents of Fresno.”
Councilmember Nelson Esparza said the council is excited to welcome Stermer to the position.
“I look forward to working with him,” Esparza said. “He has an impressive background and a strong commitment to the city of Fresno. I have full confidence that he will serve our community well as City Clerk.”
Stermer has lived in Fresno since he was 4 years old. He is married with three children who attend Fresno-area schools.
Spence’s termination came as a surprise to the community. Because it was a personnel issue, councilmembers did not provide a reason for her dismissal.
In the weeks after her firing, Black community leaders publicly called on the city council to reinstate Spence and pointed out the disparity of Black department directors in the city. Spence was the only Black woman to lead a city department.
After Thursday’s announcement of a new city clerk, Cynthia Sterling, the president of the local Black Women Organizing for Political Action chapter, offered her congratulations to Stermer.
Sterling, the city’s first Black woman to be elected to the City Council, said she was disappointed no one from the city council reached out to anyone in the Black community to make amends after Spence’s terminations. While representation in city government is important, the bigger issue was the unceremonious way the council went about the firing, she said.
“The city still has a black mark on its record, simply because of the way it was handled,” Sterling said. “We are changing in the city. Fresno is growing, and we’re becoming more of a high-profile city. We have to become more sensitive. We still need to take the area of race relations more seriously.”
This story was originally published November 4, 2021 at 2:33 PM.