Brentwood’s city manager is on paid leave. He just got a raise

BRENTWOOD — Brentwood City Manager G. Harold Duffey, who has been on paid administrative leave since June, just received a 3% pay hike.

A “compaction clause” in his contract requires that his base salary be 5% higher than that of the highest-paid employee who reports to him, said Teresa Fairbanks, Brentwood’s interim human resources director.

Because of that clause, the City Council unanimously approved a raise Tuesday, bringing Duffey’s annual base salary from $304,515 to around $313,650, effective July 16.

“When Walter O’Grodnick was appointed to police chief on July 16, 2026, the compaction clause was triggered because the salary differential between the two positions narrowed down to 2% under the city manager’s employment agreement,” Fairbanks said.

Duffey began his role as Brentwood’s city manager on Nov. 3, 2025. Only a voluntary resignation or termination by the council can remove him from the position.

He previously served as an assistant city administrator in Oakland.

In May, Oakland City Administrator Jestin Johnson abruptly resigned after reports of text messages he sent about women who worked at City Hall came to light. Messages in 2024 between Johnson and Duffey revealed the two men used suggestive language.

During one exchange, Duffey told Johnson that a woman official “got the old player mesmerized,” referring to himself. Johnson responded, “you have to sit next to her … I have to force myself to look into her eyes.”

Less than two weeks after Johnson’s resignation, several Brentwood employee associations came forward with complaints of gender-based discrimination during Duffey’s tenure in Brentwood.

In a letter to the City Council, employees from four organizations said they had a “serious concern” about Duffey and incidents at their workplace.

Duffey was placed on paid administrative leave in June, but the council did not clarify if it was due to the Oakland scandal or allegations of discrimination in Brentwood.

Mayor Susannah Meyer previously said the unanimous vote to place Duffey on leave was “not a final determination of any matter” and that the city could not discuss details because of legal, privacy, and due process limits.

During public comment Tuesday, resident Melissa van Ruiten urged the council to hold off on the pay hike until a final decision was made regarding Duffey’s employment.

In Duffey’s absence, the City Council named Terrance Davis as acting city manager.

The City Council on Tuesday approved an 8% temporary compensation increase for Davis.

The temporary monthly salary with the approved increase is $23,660.54, effective June 16, according to a staff report.

In a separate matter, the City Council voted 4-1 to establish a new deputy city manager position to fill the existing, but vacant, economic development manager’s role, following the departure of Ricardo Noguera earlier this year.

Meyer, the lone dissenting vote, said she was concerned over the establishment of the role.

“We’re in a position right now of limbo. We aren’t sure, and I’m trying to be delicate about how I say this,” Meyer said. “We aren’t sure where we’re going to be in a few months.”

The newly approved role is meant to strengthen citywide strategic planning efforts, coordinate high-priority projects across departments, and support organizational initiatives, according to a staff report.

The deputy city manager also will assist the city manager in implementing the council’s priorities and goals, said the report.

According to Davis, the deputy city manager title carries weight to bring in better economic development opportunities to the city.

“It matters who’s at the table negotiating those deals, and so that deputy city manager title, fortunate or not, does help to make sure that the appropriate position is seen at the table to help negotiate those deals and to bring those resources necessary to the table to be able to facilitate bringing the type of economic development and retail, etc. that we’re interested in,” said Davis.