{"id":6760,"date":"2026-08-14T07:07:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T07:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6760"},"modified":"2026-08-14T07:07:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T07:07:00","slug":"brentwoods-city-manager-is-on-paid-leave-he-just-got-a-raise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6760","title":{"rendered":"Brentwood\u2019s city manager is on paid leave. He just got a raise"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BRENTWOOD \u2014 Brentwood City Manager G. Harold Duffey, who has been on paid administrative leave since June, just received a 3% pay hike.<\/p>\n

Read more Big Sur travel plans? Officials urge visitors to stay away as Timber Fire grows<\/a><\/p>\n

A \u201ccompaction clause\u201d 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\u2019s interim human resources director.<\/p>\n

Because of that clause, the City Council unanimously approved a raise Tuesday, bringing Duffey\u2019s annual base salary from $304,515 to around $313,650, effective July 16.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Walter O\u2019Grodnick 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\u2019s employment agreement,\u201d Fairbanks said.<\/p>\n

Duffey began his role as Brentwood\u2019s city manager on Nov. 3, 2025. Only a voluntary resignation or termination by the council can remove him from the position.<\/p>\n

He previously served as an assistant city administrator in Oakland.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

During one exchange, Duffey told Johnson that a woman official \u201cgot the old player mesmerized,\u201d referring to himself. Johnson responded, \u201cyou have to sit next to her \u2026 I have to force myself to look into her eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Less than two weeks after Johnson\u2019s resignation, several Brentwood employee associations came forward with complaints of gender-based discrimination during Duffey\u2019s tenure in Brentwood.<\/p>\n

In a letter to the City Council, employees from four organizations said they had a \u201cserious concern\u201d about Duffey and incidents at their workplace.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Mayor Susannah Meyer previously said the unanimous vote to place Duffey on leave was \u201cnot a final determination of any matter\u201d and that the city could not discuss details because of legal, privacy, and due process limits.<\/p>\n

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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\u2019s employment.<\/p>\n

Read more Stribling, Rourke show off in 49ers debuts; Shanahan on sideline as usual<\/a><\/p>\n

In Duffey\u2019s absence, the City Council named Terrance Davis as acting city manager.<\/p>\n

The City Council on Tuesday approved an 8% temporary compensation increase for Davis.<\/p>\n

The temporary monthly salary with the approved increase is $23,660.54, effective June 16, according to a staff report.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s role, following the departure of Ricardo Noguera earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Meyer, the lone dissenting vote, said she was concerned over the establishment of the role.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in a position right now of limbo. We aren\u2019t sure, and I\u2019m trying to be delicate about how I say this,\u201d Meyer said. \u201cWe aren\u2019t sure where we\u2019re going to be in a few months.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The deputy city manager also will assist the city manager in implementing the council\u2019s priorities and goals, said the report.<\/p>\n

According to Davis, the deputy city manager title carries weight to bring in better economic development opportunities to the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt matters who\u2019s 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\u2019re interested in,\u201d said Davis.<\/p>\n

Read more East Oakland fire displaces 25 people, kills two dogs<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brentwood City Manager G. Harold Duffey, who has been placed on paid administrative leave since June, has received a 3% pay hike, due to his employment agreement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nBrentwood\u2019s city manager is on paid leave. He just got a raise - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6760\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Brentwood\u2019s city manager is on paid leave. 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