What's at stake?
The City Clerk is responsible for accurate record-keeping and holding the city’s obligations to make public meetings accessible, in addition to maintaining transparency for campaign finance filings, city legislation, and contracts.
The Fresno City Council hired a new city clerk on Thursday, following weeks of closed-door deliberations.
Amy Aller was named as the new Fresno City Clerk. They succeed Todd Stermer, who left the position last year to serve as the Sacramento County Clerk.
“Amy has done tremendous work as our Interim City Clerk, and we’re thrilled to welcome her to the permanent role,” Council President Nelson Esparza told Fresnoland in a statement shared on Thursday. “We congratulate her on being selected and feel very comfortable that the Clerk’s office is in good hands.”
Aller has served as the interim clerk since Stermer’s departure. Her salary is not immediately known.
“I am humbled and honored to be appointed as City Clerk for the City of Fresno,” Aller told Fresnoland in a statement shared on Thursday. “I am deeply committed to providing exceptional public service, ensuring accurate legislative records, and ensuring open access to local government. After serving as Interim City Clerk for the past six months, I am excited to move forward in this permanent position to serve my community with the highest degree of professionalism and excellence.”
Among their many responsibilities, the city clerk acts as a direct liaison between residents and City Hall. They also serve as an in-house compliance officer, helping make sure the city acts in line with state laws like the Brown Act and public records policies.
It’s one of the few city department heads that reports to the city council, not the Mayor.
Among Aller’s first responsibilities will be to create Fresno’s transparency portal, which will allow documents like city contracts to be easily accessible to the public.
Aller has a background as an attorney, and served in the Fresno County District Attorney and City Attorney’s offices before moving to the clerk’s office.
Her role begins officially on June 15, with an agreement expected to be approved by the council during their meeting that same week.
