After Shakeup, Oakland Mayor Quan Names New Chief Of Staff
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, who's been under fire for her handling of Occupy Oakland protests, began restructuring her staff Monday by appointing Anne Campbell Washington to be her chief of staff.
Campbell Washington previously served as chief of staff to former Mayor Jerry Brown, now California's governor, from 2003 to 2004.
The appointment comes after two of Quan's top aides resigned last week.
KCBS and Chronicle Insider Phil Matier Comments:
Her legal adviser, Dan Siegel, resigned in protest the morning of Nov. 14 when Oakland police, accompanied by officers from other law enforcement agencies, removed the month-old Occupy Oakland encampment in Frank Ogawa Plaza in front of City Hall.
Deputy Mayor Sharon Cornu announced her resignation the night of Nov. 14, but didn't cite the crackdown on the encampment as a reason.
Instead, Cornu, who formerly was executive secretary-treasurer for the Alameda County Central Labor Council, said she resigned "with deep regret" because she felt she couldn't be effective in her position.
Cornu said, "I remain a major supporter of Mayor Quan and a deep believer in her core values and vision for the city of Oakland."
Quan said in a statement that she hired Campbell Washington "as part of our ongoing effort to restructure my administration and reinvent the office of the mayor."
Quan said Campbell Washington "has served the city of Oakland for a decade and is well-known and well-regarded by city staff, council members and the community."
Quan said that apart from serving as Brown's chief of staff for a year, Campbell Washington has served in senior leadership positions for many years in the City Administrator's Office, the budget office and the Oakland Fire Department.
Campbell Washington said in a statement that Quan's administration "is focused on Oakland's toughest challenges: public safety, job creation and education."
She said, "I look forward to tackling these challenges with Mayor Quan, City Administrator Deanna Santana, the entire City Council and city staff."
Quan said that as her chief of staff, Campbell Washington will oversee the activities of the mayor's office, serve as a senior policy advisor and work closely with city leaders on developing and implementing city policy.
Campbell Washington previously served as the director of operations and special projects at the Stuart Foundation in San Francisco and as executive director of the I Have A Dream Foundation in Pittsburgh, Pa.
She earned a master's degree in public policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial management and graphic communications management from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Campbell Washington lives in Oakland with her husband Glynn Washington and their two children, Bahia and Quincy.
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