Eight years ago the voters of San Bernardino placed their trust that I would be a good city clerk, then renewed that trust by re-electing me four years ago.
As my March 3 retirement from the city draws near, I have been reflecting on what has been a wild, and incredibly fulfilling, ride.
During my tenure, the city:
• Has had six city managers; seven primary, three general, and four special elections.
• Filed for and exited from bankruptcy.
• Saw a 10-fold increase in public records requests that has my office responding to about 200 each month.
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• Had council members arrested and convicted, and a council member and city attorney recalled.
• Survived a charter amendment, and three initiatives regarding marijuana dispensaries.
At the 2012 retirement of then-City Clerk Rachel Clark, Mayor Patrick Morris bid her goodbye and introduced me as “the-wet-behind-the-ears clerk.”
None of us knew then just how quickly and thoroughly I would become battleground-trained.
Some say that a year at San Bernardino City Hall should be counted in dog years, the situation is so fraught with political minefields, infighting and financial insecurity.
At the very least, one could consider it municipal government boot camp.
In general, clerking is not a job for the fainthearted.
It was, however, the perfect job for me.
Clerking gave me the opportunity to put my administrative skills, passion for open government and desire for greater civic engagement to work for my community.
Twice, the citizens gave me the honor of doing the job and I attempted to repay that trust by:
• Updating the municipal code for the first time in six years and making it searchable online;
• Digitizing over 100 years of city documents and making them accessible online;
• Making all campaign finance forms and Statements of Economic Interest searchable online, by name, campaign account number or donor name;
• Updating processes and the system for board meeting record keeping.
Two things I am particularly proud of are keeping the city’s 60-year-old sister cities program alive through bankruptcy, and reinvigorating the Fine Arts Commission and its grants program.
My only regret is in not getting a sunshine ordinance, mandating even greater government transparency, enacted. I bequeath that job to those media outlets and citizens who are as passionate about the topic as I am.
In short, I loved my job and I loved the people I met doing it.
As I prepare for the next opportunity and the next city, I want to thank the people of San Bernardino for their trust and support and for giving me this most wonderful opportunity to serve them.
Gigi Hanna is the outgoing city clerk of San Bernardino. Besides earning several grey hairs during her tenure, she also completed her master’s degree in public administration.
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