John Russo is top choice for Alameda city manager
Is John Russo looking to leave his position as Oakland City Attorney?
The Island reported earlier today that Oakland City Attorney John Russo is the top pick for the position of city manager in Alameda. Here’s the rub:
Russo, 52, told The Island on Sunday that he couldn’t talk about the council’s choice for a new city manager, saying the city hadn’t completed its hiring process yet. But The Island’s source said that the other two top candidates for the job, former assistant city manager David Brandt and Millbrae City Manager Marcia Raines, had been informed that they weren’t picked for the job.
Brandt confirmed on Monday that he had been told over the weekend that he wasn’t selected to take the job. Raines didn’t return a call seeking confirmation that she would remain in Millbrae.
Russo, who applied for the position earlier this year, is in the middle of a long-running trial over a contentious gang injunction in Fruitvale. Oakland’s gang injunctions and the city’s ongoing deliberations over legalizing marijuana cultivation have led to Russo butting heads with Mayor Jean Quan and members of the Oakland City Council.
It is not clear whether Russo will accept Alameda’s offer. Alex Katz, the spokesperson for the City Attorney’s office, did not return a call for comment.
It is not clear what Russo’s departure would mean for Oakland’s gang injunction strategy. We’ll have more on this situation as it develops.
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