Alameda Delays Hiring New City Manager

Alameda’s plan to hire a new city manager stalled on April 21, when the City Council pulled back from a final vote on Gerry Beaudin’s contract. (pleasantonweekly.com) The city had announced on April 9 that Beaudin, Pleasanton’s city manager, was set to be appointed at the April 21 council meeting and begin work on June 30, 2026. The city described him as its incoming chief administrative officer after what it called an “extensive recruitment process.” (alamedaca.gov) Instead, council members delayed the appointment Tuesday night with Beaudin’s negotiated contract ready for approval, extending a timeline that had pointed to an April decision. Pleasanton Weekly reported the move came after procedural concerns surfaced at the meeting. (pleasantonweekly.com) In Alameda’s system, the city manager is the council’s top appointed executive, running day-to-day operations and directing city departments. The city manager’s office says that role provides policy support to the council and leadership for city operations. (alamedaca.gov) That makes the delay more than a personnel hiccup. Alameda has been operating under Interim City Manager Adam Politzer since December 5, 2025, after Jennifer Ott left to become Hayward’s city manager on December 8. (alamedapost.com) Politzer said when he was hired that his job was to keep “continuous progress” on the city’s projects until a permanent manager was appointed. Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft said at the time that Alameda was beginning a search for a new permanent city manager. (alamedapost.com) Beaudin was not an outside unknown. The city said he previously served as Alameda’s assistant city manager from August 2019 to May 2022, oversaw Public Works, Recreation and Parks, Library, Human Resources, Information Technology, and Finance, and briefly served as interim city manager. (alamedaca.gov) Alameda Post reported Beaudin’s expected annual base salary in the proposed deal was $383,111, and that he had been scheduled for confirmation on April 21 before the vote was postponed. That left both Alameda and Pleasanton waiting on a leadership transition that had looked settled less than two weeks earlier. (alamedapost.com) City records posted before the meeting showed April 21 as the next regular council meeting and listed a special City Council meeting for April 29, indicating the hiring decision could return on a revised schedule. For now, Alameda remains in the same place it was in December: still run by an interim manager while the permanent search stays unfinished. (alamedaca.gov)