Judy Lieberman, Former Albany Assistant City Manager: 1957-2013

By Euna Park and Charles Burress

Former Albany Assistant City Manager Judy Lieberman died Thursday morning at her home in Berkeley at 56, according to her husband, Allen Samelson.

Lieberman, who was recently honored for her leading role in restoring Codornices Creek, died of cancer.

“She was with her husband family – two children, Avi and Leah, and sister, Marlene, and Michael Lieberman,” Samelson said.

“Judy was a beautiful person,” said Albany Mayor Peggy Thomsen. “She was smart and sensitive. She had an uncanny ability to bring people of very diverse viewpoints on issues to work together to reach the best outcomes. She will be missed by all of us in Albany, and our thoughts and prayers are with her family.”

Lieberman's career with the city spanned 14 years, beginning with a part-time job in 1998 as a Community Development Technician, where her demonstrated aptitude in implementing important environmental programs – including the Solid Waste and Recycling Program, Clean Water Program and Urban Forestry Program – was followed by her promotion the next year to a full-time position in the Community Development department, according to a City Council proclamation in her honor in February.

The proclamation also said her "demonstrated ability to implement complex projects and programs with ease and grace, her consistent can-do attitude, and her ability to bring a variety of staff together to work collaboratively towards City goals led to her promotion to the Assistant City Manager in 2003," a position from which she retired in 2012.

She left "a legacy of improvement projects including restoring Codornices Creek, retrofitting Albany Civic Center, branding the City’s new motto of “Urban Village by the Bay”, securing millions of dollars in grant funding, and serving as a mentor to newer employees," the proclamation said.

In May, the council agreed to accept a gift of funds for a plaque honoring Lieberman's leadership in restoring Codornices Creek, a project that begin in the late 1990s as a joint effort by UC Berkeley and the cities of Albany and Berkeley. The creek forms Albany's southern border with Berkeley.

During 1998-2012, "Judy remained devoted to the implementation of the Codornices Creek restoration project, deftly guiding the project through complexities of the two cities, the University, various grant applications, numerous other government agencies, local creek and bicycle advocacy organizations, several youth sports groups, and three phases of construction," said a staff report to the council. "The result has been a healthier creek environment for fish and other wildlife and plants, improved public accessibility and increased public use to appreciate the beauty, peacefulness, and wildness of the creek, and the creation of an outdoor classroom gathering area." 

Mayor Thomsen told Patch, “Judy’s work for the City of Albany serves as a legacy of her dedication to community service, environmental preservation and grass-roots collaboration.” 

City Manager Beth Pollard said, “I think it was her curiosity about new ideas, respect for a range of perspectives, and knack for getting people to focus more on what was critical rather than distracting that made her so remarkable.”

Lieberman was educated at Northwestern University and Coral Gables High School in Coral Gables, Florida, according to her Facebook page.

The memorial service will be at Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley on Monday at 10 a.m.