Former City Manager June Fleming dies at 93

June H. Fleming, who rose from librarian to become the city manager of Palo Alto, has died at age 93 in Franklin, Va., where she moved upon her retirement.

Fleming worked for the city of Palo Alto for 32 years, and she held bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She started with the city in 1968 as the director of libraries, was later promoted to directors of social and community services and assistant city manager, and became city manager in 1992, replacing Bill Zaner. She was the city’s first black city manager.

A resolution of appreciation from the City Council said her many accomplishments include implementation of a new budget process that allowed residents to easily identify expenditures for city programs. She was credited with making the city an early leader in the internet to inform residents about municipal services. And she started the Development Center to simplify the permit process.

Council also credited her with helping to establish a “RED Team” to address crime in collaboration with East Palo Alto and Menlo Park.

In 1998, a flood struck hundreds of homes along San Francisquito Creek. City firefighters stacked sandbags outside her home to protect it from flooding. The special treatment sparked criticism by residents and the city attorney hired an outside investigator to determine what happened. However, since the report had been commissioned by the city attorney, it was never released to the public due to attorney-client privilege. Fleming said she didn’t ask for the special treatment from the firefighters.

She retired in 2000 and moved with her husband Roscoe to Virginia. In 2008, she was hired to manage the city of Franklin, Va., on a three-month interim basis. However, the work turned into a 3.5-year stint, and she won praise from local leaders, according to newspaper accounts in Virginia.

A Little Rock, Ark., native, Fleming married her husband, Roscoe, 1966. He died in 2014. They raised three children.

A memorial service for Fleming is scheduled for Jan. 10 at High Street United Methodist Church, 31164 Camp Parkway, Courtland, Va. Arrangements are being handled by Wm. M. Johnson & Sons Funeral Home Inc., 224 South Main St., Franklin, Va.