Two City of Lodi officials to retire by end of year

Following the departure of city planner Craig Hoffman on Monday, the City of Lodi is gearing up for two more departures before the end of the year.

Lodi Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Director Jeff Hood announced earlier this month that Nov. 1 will be his last day.

Hood joined the city in 2007 after former Lodi City Manager Blair King appointed him to serve as a city management analyst and communication specialist.

Hood came to the city with a 20-year reporting background. He served as the business reporter and Lodi Bureau Chief for the Stockton Record from 1987 to 2007.

“It was a complete career change, but my family and I will always be grateful. When Blair King hired me, it was a real game-changer for the Hood family. It led to a job as parks director,” he said.

Hood has appointed the interim parks and rec director in 2012 after former director Jim Rodems left for a position in Cordova. Nine months later, Hood was awarded the position on a permanent basis.

“I will always be grateful to Rad Bartlam for having enough faith in me to do the job, and I thank city manager Steve Schwabauer for the continued support,” he said. “It has been an incredible opportunity to serve, and I want to thank the taxpayers of Lodi for supporting the parks department and my family.”

When Hood stepped into the role of parks director, the department was struggling to find its financial footing.

“I was tasked with getting the department out of the red,” he said. “In order to balance the parks budget, we had to make sacrifices in our staffing. The staff has been stretched more than they have been stretched before.”

Since becoming director, Hood has actively sought grants to help fund department projects, successfully acquiring $4 million in grants over the past seven years.

Once Hood retires, he said that he would like to continue to write grants for the city.

“As of now, I do not have any concrete plans, but I am planning to just enjoy the break. I have been working since I was 12, so I am really looking forward to taking it easy,” Hood said.

Following Hood into retirement is Lodi City Clerk Jennifer Ferraiolo, who announced she will retire on Dec. 19.

“It has been such a rewarding experience working with the various staff and councils, and I enjoyed working with the public and getting information out to everyone,” Ferraiolo said.

Ferraiolo began working for the city at the age of 19 and officially served in the role of city clerk in 1992. After starting a family, Ferraiolo resigned from the position and became the deputy city clerk, but was reappointed city clerk in 2014.

As city clerk, Ferraiolo has helped residents running for elected positions meet their legal obligations to run for office, she has posted council agendas and minutes and she has provided the public with city records and access to information.

“For me, the thing I am most proud of is how we have utilized technology to have information available at the tips of their fingers,” she said.

Ferraiolo said the most difficult part of working in the city was navigating software system changes, which happened twice during her tenure, once in 1996 and again in 2015.

“Anytime you transition to a new system, you have to figure it out while getting your day-to-day tasks completed while balancing the public requests that come through,” she said.

Despite the strain from technology, Ferraiolo has enjoyed working in the city and thanks past city staff and current staff, as well as former and current council members.

Ferraiolo and her husband William, a professor at San Joaquin Delta College, plan to move to Groveland following his retirement in a couple of years.