Sunnyvale’s top administrator is retiring after seven years on the job.
City Manager Kent Steffens will resign in June, according to a Wednesday news release. He led the city in completing recent projects including the new city hall and advancing plans to rebuild the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The city will begin searching for Steffens’ replacement in the spring.
“It has been a great honor to work alongside our dedicated employees and City Council as we overcome challenges and achieve many successes,” Steffens said.
Steffens worked at the city for about seven years before being named city manager in 2018. He was deputy city manager before the promotion and before becoming public works director.
He did not respond to a request for comment.
Officials who have worked with Steffens said Sunnyvale has benefited from his knowledge and leadership. Councilman Russ Melton said he appreciated the city manager’s candor in talking to councilors about what is and isn’t possible for the city to accomplish, citing conversations at a recent city meeting about the ride-sharing service. Silicon Valley Hopper.
As an example of Steffens’ leadership, Mayor Larry Klein highlighted the multi-phase plan to renovate the Sunnyvale Civic Center.
“Kent has been a steady hand at the wheel of a city, whatever the problems,” Klein told San José Spotlight. “He’s shown real leadership and given great advice, and we don’t always see eye to eye, but being the chief administrator of a city is ensuring that the city continues to go in the right direction.”
Klein said it was Steffens’ idea to have the city help pay for the Sunnyvale Community Services mortgage, which will allow the nonprofit to spend more money and resources supporting low-income families in the city. He said strengthening this partnership is mutually beneficial because the nonprofit provides services that help residents.
While officials have not yet begun searching for a replacement, Sunnyvale is working to fill another vacancy following the retirement of City Attorney John Nagel in January. Several officials said that, coincidentally, both Nagel and Steffens had had long careers in public service and reached a point where they wanted to retire. Steffens has worked in public service for about 40 years in several cities, including some in the Bay Area such as Menlo Park, Palo Alto and Foster City.
Councilman Richard Mehlinger told San José Spotlight that he is confident Nagel and Steffens have built strong teams to help support the city after their retirements. Councilwoman Alysa Cisneros said her retirements speak of the stability of the city.
“These were some of the most dedicated public servants I have ever met, who truly cared deeply about this community and showed it every day,” Cisneros told San José Spotlight. “It will be very difficult to find someone to take his place.”
Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X, formerly known as Twitter.
