New city manager sworn in during ceremony at Merced City Council meeting
The city of Merced swore in a new city manager as it said goodbye to outgoing manager Stephanie Dietz.
The ceremony was held during Monday night’s City Council meeting in front of a packed chamber. City Council members, residents and representatives of elected leaders thanked Dietz for her service and recognized her as the first woman to serve in the role for Merced. Dietz was hired for the position after serving as assistant city manager and interim city manager following the termination of former city manager Steve Carrigan in 2020.
Merced’s new city manager, Scott McBride, was officially sworn in by Mayor Matthew Serratto during the meeting. Shortly after taking the role, McBride held a ceremonial swearing-in of Merced’s new chief of police, Steven Stanfield, who took over following an official swearing-in during a ceremony on Oct. 30.
Stanfield addressed the crowd during Monday’s ceremony and said that said the community has been very gracious and welcoming to him during his first week on the job.
“This is a great community, and you should all be extremely proud of what a wonderful thing you have here. ... I’m so excited to be a part of it and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish next,” he said.
During the ceremony, council members wished Dietz well and reflected on their time working with her.
“From the beginning you’ve been such a blessing to this city,” Serratto said.
From revitalizing Merced’s downtown to the building of new sports complexes, a new airport terminal, housing projects, issues with water, the UC annexation, Dietz has excelled across the board, according to Serratto.
“This has been the greatest honor,” Dietz said, addressing the room. “More than me, I hope you take from my time here that you see the city differently. We are not just the negative things in the community that you see. We’re not just the negative Facebook comments that people use to bring us down.”
Dietz said that when she came to the city, she and then-Mayor Mike Murphy tried to come up with a way for people to believe the city could be more than what it was. Dietz said it is that spark and energy that can transform a community.
“There are problems in every corner, but there is good in every corner,” Dietz said. “And the biggest resource of this community is its people and their resiliency.”
Rather than focusing on what the the city lacks, Dietz said, the community can focus on coming together and making real impactful change.
“As I leave and hand the torch to Mr. McBride, I hope that spirit of community stays at the center of all of your work because it absolutely was what I tried to focus everything I did every day here in the city of Merced.”