Robert Bobb

Robert C. Bobb is a politician and public administrator, and president of the Washington, D.C. board of education.cite news
title = Robert Bobb Elected School Board President
url = http://www.nbc4.com/politics/10272901/detail.html
publisher = WRC-TV
date = November 8, 2006
accessdate = 2006-11-08] Bobb is the longest-serving African-American city manager in the United States.cite web
url = http://dc.gov/mayor/bios/bobb.shtm
title = Biography: Robert C. Bobb
accessdate = 2006-10-04
publisher = District of Columbia Government
language = English]

Early career

Bobb received a bachelors degree from Grambling State University and a masters degree from Western Michigan University. Bobb has acted as city manager for a total of 30 years [cite news |title=Bobb, Laying Out Bold Plan, Says He Will Fight a Mayoral Takeover |work=The Washington Post |first=V. Dion |last=Haynes |date=2006-11-09 |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/08/AR2006110802311.html ] in the cities of Kalamazoo, Michigan; Santa Ana, California; and Richmond, Virginia (1986-1997).

Oakland, California

From 1997 to 2003, Bobb served as city manager in Oakland, California under a unique hybrid system, which combined a strong mayor, Jerry Brown, with a full-time city manager. The intention was to combine electoral leadership with managerial leadership in order to move the city forward. Two years into the new system's use, it appeared that the system was working, though critics had warned that the mayor and city manager would lock horns and the result would be stalemate. During this time, the city's bureaucracies were restructured, and new policies were adopted.cite book
author = Bowman, Ann O'M.; Kearney, Richard C.
title = State and Local Government
year = 2002
publisher = Houghton Mifflin
location = Boston, Massachusetts
isbn = 0-618-13207-4
pages = 318
chapter = Local Leadership and Governance ] However, in 2003, over a dispute regarding a new stadium for the Oakland Athletics baseball team, Bobb was dismissed by mayor Brown. Bobb was a major advocate of constructing a new stadium in Oakland.cite web
url = http://www.ballparkwatch.com/news/2003archives/july2_july8.htm
title = BallParkWatch - July 2-July 8 Archives
accessdate = 2006-11-14
language = English] Bobb was replaced by Deborah Edgerly as Oakland's city manager.cite news
title = New Oakland management team in place
url = http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20040318/ai_n14570288
work = The Oakland Tribune
date = 2004-03-18
accessdate = 2006-11-14]

Washington, D.C.

From 2003 until 2006, Bobb held the position of City Administrator in Washington, D.C.. In 2004, Bobb represented the District of Columbia in the World Mega Cities Economic and Cultural Development Conference, held in Beijing, Shanghai, and Nantong, China. In 2006, Bobb resigned to run an ultimately successful campaign for the office of president of the D.C. Board of Education.cite news
coauthors = Nakamura, David; Sun, Lena H
title = Fenty to Name Interim Manager Of Metro as D.C. Administrator
url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/01/AR2006100101166.html
work = The Washington Post
page = A01
date = 2006-10-02
accessdate = 2006-10-03]

Payroll overpayment

Between January and August 2006, E. Veronica Pace, then-director for the District's Office on Aging, was overpaid a total of $75,000.cite news |title=$75,000 payroll error one of D.C.'s largest |work=The Washington Times |first=Jim |last=McElhatton |date=2007-06-18 |url=http://www3.washingtontimes.com/metro/20070617-103557-1326r.htm ] When a District employee is erroneously overpaid, a District law allows the employee to request to keep the overpayment. Pace formally asked to keep the $75,000 overpayment, and, as city administrator, Bobb approved the request. Bobb's approval was overridden by the District's personnel office, which said that Bobb did not have the authority to approve Pace's request.

Election history

2006 President of Board of Education of D.C., General Election [cite news |title=Certified Official Results Report |work=District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics |date=2006-11-07 |url=http://www.dcboee.org/nws/pdf_files/nr_92.pdf |format=PDF ] [Candidates for the office of president of the Board of Education of the District of Columbia are listed on the ballot without any party affiliation.]

References

External links

* [http://www.city-journal.org/html/9_4_a2.html Jerry Brown's No-Nonsense New Age for Oakland]