Fresno hires city controller. He’s a Fresno native and comes from a familiar organization

The Fresno City Council on Thursday unanimously approved City Manager Georgeanne White’s recommendation to hire Santino Danisi as the new city controller.

Danisi currently serves as the chief financial officer for Fresno Unified School District.

The City Council made the closed-session vote as the first action item during Thursday’s meeting.

The city controller oversees the finance department and manages accounting, financial administration and reporting, budgeting, internal audits, treasury/cash management, investments, payroll, billing and accounts receivable, accounts payable, purchasing, reproduction and graphics, and business licenses and cashiering.

“Santino is highly respected, dedicated, ethical and skilled at effectively managing fiscal oversight for a large, multi-faceted organization, such as the city of Fresno,” White said in a news release.

Danisi is a native of Fresno. During his time working for the school district, he was recognized for his cost-saving solutions while protecting the district during the Great Recession. City officials said he also has experience in financial planning and management, risk identification and mitigation, budgeting and forecasting, cost/revenue trend analysis, team building and leadership, financial accounting, and data analysis and reporting.

“Mr. Danisi has done a stellar job of serving the students, families, and staff members of the Fresno Unified School District over the past 14 years. We are grateful for his service,” Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson said in a statement. “The district is in a terrific fiscal position as a result of his efforts. The city of Fresno will be well served by his stewardship as well. We wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said Danisi came highly recommended.

“Those who know him compliment his strong work ethic and community ties. He is not only an expert in the field of finance, but also a true community servant,” Dyer said.

The hiring comes a little more than a month after the council voted in favor of the city manager’s recommendation to terminate longtime City Controller Mike Lima.

The termination came months after The Bee broke the story of the city losing $600,000 to a phishing scam. The scam occurred in 2020, but city officials didn’t disclose it until The Bee asked about it; city officials cited an ongoing FBI investigation for the lag.

City officials did not disclose a reason for Lima’s firing, nor did they say if losing the $600,000 was a contributing factor. Lima’s employment agreement with the city was updated in July. He earned an annual base salary of $189,500 and worked for the city for nearly three decades.

Details about Danisi’s pay and benefits have not yet been finalized.