Oakland Mayor-Elect Quan Names Transition Team
OAKLAND (KCBS / BCN) -- A former Oakland city manager has been named to head the 24-member transition team for Jean Quan.
The Transition Advisory Committee will be led by Henry Gardner, who now runs the Association of Bay Area Governments.
KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:
Quan, who has been on the City Council for eight years and will be sworn in as mayor on Jan. 3, said she has a "very ambitious" agenda for the city and will conduct a thorough review of every city department.
"We're hoping the nation will take a fresh look at Oakland," which is known for its high crime rates, she said at a briefing with reporters at City Hall.
Quan said she has been interviewed by many national and international reporters since she was declared the winner of the 10-candidate race.
"An Asian-American woman as mayor doesn't fit their stereotype," she said.
Quan pledged to be more accessible to the news media and the public than outgoing Mayor Ron Dellums, who held news conferences only rarely and was often absent from City Hall, has been.
"I'm trying to create a different culture," Quan said, promising to have weekly briefings with reporters. "Access to the mayor was a major criticism (of Dellums), we heard."
Quan also promised to be more involved in running the city on a daily basis than were Dellums and Gov.-elect Jerry Brown, who have been Oakland's only two mayors since the city switched to a strong mayor form of government in 1999.
She said that since the change to the strong-mayor system, "I will be the first to be a hands-on mayor for the full spectrum of city needs."
Quan said her team will be looking at recent financial studies done for Oakland among other things.
"I pulled together the major economic reports and recommendations about the city that have been made over the last five to six years," said Quan. "They will pour over those reports and discuss the current situation. What I'm asking them to do is come up with priorities for the first year as mayor."
Quan will have her hands full with a budget deficit and other possible layoffs of more police officers.
Gardner echoed Quan's comments about being more open with the news media, saying, "The press is not your enemy."
"We need you and want and expect you to be fair and balanced, and we will be open and honest with you," he told reporters.
Quan said her transition committee includes people in business, labor, health care, education, and nonprofit organizations.
She said she asked her three leading opponents in the mayor's race—former State Senate President Don Perata, City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan and political science professor and news commentator Joe Tuman—to recommend people for her transition committee.
Quan said one of her first challenges will be to name a new city administrator.
She said a headhunting agency that will be selected soon, as well as a four-person team of current and former city and county administrators, including Gardner, will help her choose a new administrator.
She said she hopes a new administrator will be announced by late January or early February, and current City Administrator Dan Lindheim has agreed to stay on until a successor is named.
Gardner said he's not seeking the appointment and is content to lead the transition committee.
Asked if Oakland is a tough city to govern, Garnder said, "Oakland is a dynamic place" and has "very demanding" community members, but he thinks its problems, such as its crime rate and budget shortfalls, can be addressed.
"Oakland has a lot of challenges but has far more opportunities, I believe," Gardner said.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
