FULLERTON : City’s Risk Manager to Take Downey Post

The city’s risk manager, who is credited with saving Fullerton “hundreds of thousands of dollars a year,” has resigned to accept another job, officials said Tuesday.

Paula Chu Tanguay served the city for six years. She is leaving to head the Alliance of Schools for Cooperative Insurance Programs, an insurance pool based in Downey. Her last day of work is May 14, she said.

As risk manager for Fullerton, Tanguay judged workers’ compensation claims and damage claims against the city and worked with city departments to lower risks. She also managed the city’s insurance policies, she said.

“She’s saved the city hundreds of thousands of dollars a year,” City Manager James L. Armstrong said. “She is an outstanding risk manager.”

When the council considered the 110-foot concrete slide at Gilman Park in northeast Fullerton, Tanguay said the city could face large lawsuits if they acknowledged a dangerous situation but did not act to fix it. The council then voted to rip out the slide and plant grass on the hillside.

“That was tough for me because I have a 4-year-old and understand the need to give them creative play,” Tanguay said. “But it needs to balance off with protecting those same children.”

Tanguay, 37, assisted attorneys for the city in 11 lawsuits that went to trial. The city won all those cases.

Armstrong said a city attorney recently called Tanguay’s help “invaluable.”

But Tanguay said she does not fight every claim against the city.

“If you owe something, you should pay it immediately and not make people mad,” she said. “But if you’re not liable, you should focus on what it will take to defend the action. Those decisions need to be made very early on in each case.”

Armstrong said that he is trying to see if other staff members can take over Tanguay’s work, to save the city from spending money on hiring a new person.