News

Palo Alto selects new city clerk

City Council prepares to hire Lesley Milton to replace Beth Minor, who is retiring in July

Lesley Milton is set to succeed Beth Minor as Palo Alto's city clerk. Courtesy city of Palo Alto.

Update: On June 21, the City Council unanimously approved a contract with Lesley Milton to serve as Palo Alto's new city clerk.

---

Palo Alto has concluded its search for a new city clerk, with the City Council preparing to name Lesley Milton on Monday as the successor to outgoing clerk Beth Minor.

Minor announced earlier this year that she will be stepping down on July 30 after 14 years at City Hall, including five as city clerk. The council plans to adopt a resolution of appreciation for Minor on Monday night, shortly before it votes to approve a contract with Milton.

Milton will be coming to Palo Alto from Seaside, a city in Monterey County where she held a number of positions, most recently serving as both the assistant city manager and the city clerk. According to a report from the Human Resources Department, she has 15 years of experience in public service, including 10 years in the city clerk profession.

Help sustain the local news you depend on.

Your contribution matters. Become a member today.

Join

Under the contract that the council is set to approve, Milton's salary will be $175,000 and she will receive $10,000 in relocation expenses. The city clerk position is one of four at City Hall — along with city manager, city attorney and city auditor — that is appointed directly by the council. Milton would start her new position on July 26.

In an announcement, Milton said she is "excited to join an award-winning City recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed."

"I love being a Clerk because I am able to work closely with the public, all City departments and with the City Council," she said in a statement. "Having lived on the Monterey Peninsula just south of Palo Alto, I am familiar with the area and the needs of the community."

Stay informed

Get the latest local news and information sent straight to your inbox.

Stay informed

Get the latest local news and information sent straight to your inbox.

Gennady Sheyner
 
Gennady Sheyner covers the City Hall beat in Palo Alto as well as regional politics, with a special focus on housing and transportation. Before joining the Palo Alto Weekly/PaloAltoOnline.com in 2008, he covered breaking news and local politics for the Waterbury Republican-American, a daily newspaper in Connecticut. Read more >>

Follow on Twitter @paloaltoweekly, Facebook and on Instagram @paloaltoonline for breaking news, local events, photos, videos and more.

Your support is vital to us continuing to bring you city government news. Become a member today.

Palo Alto selects new city clerk

City Council prepares to hire Lesley Milton to replace Beth Minor, who is retiring in July

Update: On June 21, the City Council unanimously approved a contract with Lesley Milton to serve as Palo Alto's new city clerk.

---

Palo Alto has concluded its search for a new city clerk, with the City Council preparing to name Lesley Milton on Monday as the successor to outgoing clerk Beth Minor.

Minor announced earlier this year that she will be stepping down on July 30 after 14 years at City Hall, including five as city clerk. The council plans to adopt a resolution of appreciation for Minor on Monday night, shortly before it votes to approve a contract with Milton.

Milton will be coming to Palo Alto from Seaside, a city in Monterey County where she held a number of positions, most recently serving as both the assistant city manager and the city clerk. According to a report from the Human Resources Department, she has 15 years of experience in public service, including 10 years in the city clerk profession.

Under the contract that the council is set to approve, Milton's salary will be $175,000 and she will receive $10,000 in relocation expenses. The city clerk position is one of four at City Hall — along with city manager, city attorney and city auditor — that is appointed directly by the council. Milton would start her new position on July 26.

In an announcement, Milton said she is "excited to join an award-winning City recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed."

"I love being a Clerk because I am able to work closely with the public, all City departments and with the City Council," she said in a statement. "Having lived on the Monterey Peninsula just south of Palo Alto, I am familiar with the area and the needs of the community."

Comments

Bob Dylan
Registered user
Crescent Park
on Jun 18, 2021 at 10:26 am
Bob Dylan, Crescent Park
Registered user
on Jun 18, 2021 at 10:26 am

It would be nice to know what a City Clerk does.


PA Community Advocate
Registered user
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jun 19, 2021 at 7:28 pm
PA Community Advocate, Another Palo Alto neighborhood
Registered user
on Jun 19, 2021 at 7:28 pm

This article could be better. What does a City Clerk do? Do the residents of the Palo Alto community really need someone to be paid $185k in year 1 to play this role?

That’s 18,500 trips that our corrupt children’s zoo planners could have made free.


Don't miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic.

Post a comment

On Wednesday, we'll be launching a new website. To prepare and make sure all our content is available on the new platform, commenting on stories and in TownSquare has been disabled. When the new site is online, past comments will be available to be seen and we'll reinstate the ability to comment. We appreciate your patience while we make this transition.