RUMOR: Robert Bobb Resigns DC Job, May Be Oakland City Adminstrator

I've not yet confirmed this with Robert Bobb himself, but two sources have explained to me today that former Oakland City Manager Robert Bobb has resigned from his position as a consultant with Public Financial Management Inc. -- the assertion from one source is that he did so to become Oakland's next City Administrator, replacing former City Adminstrator Debra Edgerly, who was fired in July of this year.  


Bobb has been going back and forth, in and out of Oakland as part of a consulting engagement that saw the public service veteran analyze various aspects of Oakland management and operations in an effort to determine why the government's not working as it should and why service delivery has been so poor.  


The possibility of Bobb's return was a focus on a recent debate between the two At Large City Council candidates Rebecca Kaplan and Kerry Hamill.  Both were rather lukewarm to the idea of his possible return, with Hamill more along the commentary of "I think we need to spread the net" and see what's out there, where Kaplan seemed more interested in the idea of Bobb's return as long as it's not for just one year.


Here's the video by Vsmoothe, which is about to get more than the 20 views to date.  It will get that (or more) in just one day after the posting of this article:





But back to the matter of Bobb. If he does return it will be a great shot in the arm to a City that needs it and for once Bobb will not have Jerry Brown to worry about.


Plus, Bobb comes back to an Oakland with a more vibrant private sector than when he left. It should be easier to marshall financial support for initiatives that involve promoting the city and bringing large events to Oakland. But we've got to confirm that rumor, first.