FORMER STOCKTON CITY CLERK Bonnie Paige will return to City Hall nearly a decade after retiring, following a 6-0 vote by the Stockton City Council voted on Tuesday to appoint her interim city clerk.
Paige will temporarily lead the City Clerk’s Office while Stockton searches for a permanent replacement for Katherine Roland, whose resignation takes effect Sept. 26. She was not present for the vote.
Mayor Christina Fugazi said Paige was out of town for part of the week as council members welcomed her return and praised her previous experience with the city.
Paige served as Stockton’s city clerk from 2011 to 2017 and worked for the city for more than 28 years. According to The Stockton Record, she began her city career as a library office assistant in 1988 before eventually becoming assistant city clerk and then city clerk.
Councilmember Michael Blower, who worked with Paige during her previous tenure as clerk, thanked her Tuesday for agreeing to return.
“I’m just very, very thankful that Bonnie Paige is willing to come back,” Blower said.
Blower pointed to Paige’s previous experience and said having someone familiar with the position was particularly important during an election year.
Vice Mayor Jason Lee, who participated remotely from Los Angeles, said he had not yet met Paige but supported her appointment and thanked her for taking on the role.
Lee then pivoted to Roland’s departure, saying he wanted the legislative record to reflect that she resigned after raising what he called “serious claims” about interference in the city’s election process.
Election dispute lingers
Roland previously accused Mayor Christina Fugazi’s public information officer, Jason Teramoto, of attempting to interfere with the June 2 primary election and pressure her in her role as city clerk.
Teramoto has denied the allegations, calling them “zero merit.”
As Lee continued discussing Roland, Councilmember Michele Padilla interjected. Lee responded, “I can say more. It’s my time to speak,” before returning to his comments.
Lee said he hoped Paige would receive the support she needed and that the City Clerk’s Office would maintain what he described as a cohesive and positive working environment.
“I’m just very, very thankful that Bonnie Paige is willing to come back.”
Councilmember Michael Blower
Fugazi said Paige contacted her after the council agenda became public and had already discussed bringing “words of wisdom and structure” to the office while avoiding any loss of momentum heading into the election.
Paige’s appointment is effective Sept. 16, although Fugazi said Tuesday that Paige will also be out of town for part of her first week. Interim City Attorney Donald Larkin clarified that Paige will receive $93.11 per hour only for hours she actually works.
Paige will not receive city benefits and can work up to 960 hours during the fiscal year. She will remain interim clerk until Stockton hires a permanent replacement, she reaches the 960-hour limit, the agreement ends or July 1, 2027, whichever comes first.
The timing creates a brief overlap with Roland, who said in her resignation letter that she would continue working remotely through Sept. 26 while wrapping up pending projects and helping with the transition.
The agreement lists Paige’s appointment as beginning Sept. 16 but says the city clerk position becomes vacant Sept. 27. City officials did not publicly explain Tuesday how responsibilities will be divided during the overlap.
This story originally appeared in Stocktonia.