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Former Livermore city clerk Sarah Bunting has been appointed as the new city clerk in San Leandro, filling a vacancy tied to the leadership saga at the East Bay Regional Park District.
Bunting, who spent nearly 17 years in all working for the city of Livermore before departing in late 2019, had been San Leandro’s acting city clerk in the wake of Kelly Clancy’s resignation to become the new clerk of the board for EBRPD – a recruitment and appointment process that exacerbated friction between the park district’s Board of Directors and then-general manager Sabrina Landreth last fall.
“Sarah has more than 15 years of experience serving in City Clerk offices in Berkeley, Livermore, and now San Leandro,” City Manager Janelle Cameron said in a news release March 17. “I am especially grateful for her willingness to step into this demanding role during a period of transition for the Council and for the excellent work she has done in guiding the office.”
Bunting added, “I look forward to continuing to work with the City’s outstanding staff to deliver the high-quality customer service our community deserves, while fostering a culture of innovation that identifies new ways to provide services for everyone.”
Starting her career in city government in Livermore as a library aide in 2001 before moving to the city manager’s office, Bunting transitioned into the city clerk’s office in 2011 and rose in the ranks there until leaving in 2017 to become assistant city clerk in Berkeley, according to her LinkedIn.
Bunting returned to Livermore just over a year later, working as the head of the city clerk’s office during April 2018 to November 2019, according to the city. Her tenure as city clerk included navigating two controversial ballot issues – an initiative from Friends of Livermore over downtown redevelopment and a proposed referendum initially backed by JUUL Labs over Livermore’s anti-vaping ordinance but ultimately pulled before reaching voters.
Departing again for Berkeley, Bunting was assistant clerk in that city for another 3-1/2 years before taking the deputy city clerk job in San Leandro in August 2023.
After her boss Clancy stepped down Oct. 17, Bunting was acting city clerk while San Leandro leadership and a consulting firm pursued a public recruitment process for the permanent role. Bunting eventually rose to the top, with Cameron citing her “strong commitment to public service and a deep understanding of the vital role the City Clerk plays in supporting transparent and effective local government”.
Clancy’s arrival at EBRPD was a bumpy one. She was originally set to start Nov. 3 as the top finalist during Landreth’s hiring process, but some directors preferred an internal candidate and the matter was pushed out from the Oct. 21 board meeting, according to emails and other records obtained by the Pleasanton Weekly.
A split EBRPD board ultimately approved Clancy’s appointment as clerk of the board during the Nov. 4 meeting, which would be Landreth’s last as general manager, putting in her resignation two days later with scathing criticism of the board. Landreth’s claim against the park district is pending.
