District City Administrator Robert Bobb launched his run for president of the D.C. Board of Education Thursday by establishing his candidacy with the Board of Elections and Ethics.
Bobb, who only Wednesday broke his silence about his future plans, must collect 1,000 signatures of registered D.C. voters by Aug. 30 in order to get his name on the Nov. 7 ballot.
He picked up the nominating petitions before noon Thursday.
He is aiming to replace Peggy Cooper Cafritz, who opted not to run for another term.
Mayor Anthony Williams hired Bobb in 2003, after Bobb worked multi-year stints managing the urban governments of Oakland, Calif., and Richmond, Va. As his campaign ramps up, Bobb is expected to step down as the day-to-day government manager.
In a statement, Williams called Bobb “one of the best city administrators” the District has had and wished him the best of luck on the campaign trail.
“His hands-on involvement, intelligence and hard work coupled with his love of this community and concern for children and people from all backgrounds has made him an extremely effective member of my administration,” the mayor said. “When Robert decides to leave the government in order to run for the school board, we will miss his strong presence.”
There’s no word yet on who will replace Bobb as city administrator.
Other candidates for school board president
» Carolyn Graham, current school board member
» Timothy Jenkins
» Edward Wolterbeek
» Laurent Ross
» Sunday Abraham
