Council Reportedly Discussing Appointing Mike Malone to Interim CM In Closed Session

Several sources have told me that the City Council will be discussing appointing Vallejo Water Director Mike Malone to Interim City Manager during next Tuesday’s closed session. Malone is reportedly Anne Cardwell’s choice to replace her, as first reported by John Glidden.

Malone has been with the department since 2017.

Some think that the council and City may want to distance themselves from anything having to do with former City Manager Greg Nyhoff, who left this summer amid lawsuits and vitriol from some in the community. Though Malone is not closely associated with the former CM, he is one of the people that signed a letter of support for Nyhoff in April of last year after the embattled city manager had undergone an independent investigation into his management.

“For all of us, Greg is the reason we are inspired to work for the City of Vallejo and bring our best here, every day,” the letter reads.

Malone is tangentially connected to a sexual harassment claim made by a woman who worked for the City of Sacramento in 2014. The woman accused her boss, Department of Utilities Program Manager Elise Fong, of harassment, alleging that Fong fondled herself in front of her and revealed her panties to her, according to her complaint.

The case was dismissed in October of 2017 with prejudice. Sacramento eventually paid the woman $27,5o0.

But the accuser also roped in Malone, who she said supported Fong because he didn’t want her to leave the city and was allegedly complicit in retaliation against her, USA Today reported in 2015.

“The claimant believes Malone and others influenced the hiring process because she complained about the sexual harassment and filed an EEOC claim,” the paper wrote.

City Spokesperson Christina Lee said that Mike Malone has no comment.