Robert Bobb
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Robert C. Bobb is a politician and public administrator, and president of the Washington, D.C. board of education.[1] Bobb is the longest-serving African-American city manager in the United States.[2]
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[edit] Early career
Bobb received a bachelors degree from Grambling State University and a masters degree from Western Michigan University.[2] Bobb has acted as city manager for a total of 30 years[3] in the cities of Kalamazoo, Michigan; Santa Ana, California; and Richmond, Virginia (1986-1997).[2]
[edit] 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.[4] 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.[5] Bobb was replaced by Deborah Edgerly as Oakland's city manager.[6]
[edit] 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.[2] In 2006, Bobb resigned to run an ultimately successful campaign for the office of president of the D.C. Board of Education.[7]
[edit] 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.[8] When a District employee is erroneously overpaid, a District law allows the employee to request to keep the overpayment.[8] Pace formally asked to keep the $75,000 overpayment, and, as city administrator, Bobb approved the request.[8] 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.[8]
[edit] Election history
2006 President of Board of Education of D.C., General Election[9][10]
| Robert C. Bobb 44% |
| Carolyn Graham 35% |
| Timothy Jenkins 13% |
| Laurent Ross 5% |
| Sunday Abraham 3% |
| Write-in 1% |
[edit] References
- ^ "Robert Bobb Elected School Board President", WRC-TV, November 8, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
- ^ a b c d Biography: Robert C. Bobb (English). District of Columbia Government. Retrieved on 2006-10-04.
- ^ Haynes, V. Dion. "Bobb, Laying Out Bold Plan, Says He Will Fight a Mayoral Takeover", The Washington Post, 2006-11-09.
- ^ Bowman, Ann O'M.; Kearney, Richard C. (2002). "Local Leadership and Governance", State and Local Government. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin, 318. ISBN 0-618-13207-4.
- ^ BallParkWatch - July 2-July 8 Archives (English). Retrieved on 2006-11-14.
- ^ "New Oakland management team in place", The Oakland Tribune, 2004-03-18. Retrieved on 2006-11-14.
- ^ "Fenty to Name Interim Manager Of Metro as D.C. Administrator", The Washington Post, 2006-10-02, p. A01. Retrieved on 2006-10-03.
- ^ a b c d McElhatton, Jim. "$75,000 payroll error one of D.C.'s largest", The Washington Times, 2007-06-18.
- ^ "Certified Official Results Report" (PDF), District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics, 2006-11-07.
- ^ 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.
