Oakland, CA – Following a unanimous 8-0 confirmation vote by the City Council, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf administered the oath of office to Ed Reiskin at City Hall on Wednesday to swear him in as Oakland’s City Administrator.
Mr. Reiskin was appointed by Mayor Schaaf for the position in April after a national recruitment process. The City Council voted to confirm Mr. Reiskin on Tuesday.
Video of the entire 15-minute ceremony with full comments from Mayor Schaaf and Mr. Reiskin can be viewed on the City’s YouTube site here:
“Ed is perfectly engineered to be a leader in this moment,” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said, noting that Mr. Reiskin holds a degree in engineering from MIT. “What makes him perfect is that he has an engineer’s mind and a public servant’s heart.”
“It’s incredibly humbling to have this opportunity from you, Madame Mayor, and from the City Council, to lead this great organization,” Mr. Reiskin said. “I see my role as City Administrator as supporting the good work that the women and men of the City of Oakland do every day. There’s incredible depth, and breadth, and commitment from city employees here, and it’s really my job as City Administrator to support them to being successful in doing their work.”
Mr. Reiskin has more than 30 years of experience in the private, academic, nonprofit, and public sectors. He returned to Oakland in August 2019 to serve as Assistant City Administrator, where he oversaw some of the City’s infrastructure and front-line service delivery operations, including Public Works; Transportation; Information Technology; Contracts & Compliance; Parks, Recreation & Youth Development; City Clerk; 311; and planning for the new Department of Workplace & Employment Standards.
Prior to returning to Oakland, where he started his public service career in city management, Mr. Reiskin worked for the City and County of San Francisco in several executive leadership capacities over the past 12 years. Since 2011, Mr. Reiskin had served as the Director of Transportation, leading the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), where he oversaw the municipal railway (Muni), parking, traffic engineering, bicycle and pedestrian safety, accessibility, key initiatives, and taxi regulation. At SFMTA Mr. Reiskin was responsible for more than 6,000 employees, a $1.2 billion annual operating budget, and a $3 billion capital budget.
Before joining the SFMTA, he was appointed in 2008 by Mayor Gavin Newsom as Director of the Department of Public Works. He led Public Works’ three divisions with more than 1,100 employees, whose responsibilities ranged from engineering, construction management, and project delivery to graffiti removal, street cleaning, and public engagement programs. Mr. Reiskin also served as the first Director of the City and County’s 311 Customer Service Center.
Prior to joining the City and County of San Francisco, he served as the Interim City Administrator and as Deputy Mayor for the Government of the District of Columbia. As City Administrator, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of government, provided oversight to government agencies under the mayor’s authority, and guided functional, policy and budgetary decision-making on behalf of the mayor. As Deputy Mayor, he served as senior advisor on public safety issues and provided leadership and direction in the management of departments such as police, fire/EMS, corrections, and 911/311. He also served as the District’s liaison to independent, federal, and regional public safety agencies, and as the District of Columbia’s Homeland Security Advisor.
Prior to joining the District of Columbia government, Mr. Reiskin worked for three years for the City of Oakland as an Assistant to the City Manager. In that capacity, he led citywide initiatives, supported and coordinated the work of city agencies, particularly in the areas of public safety and community development, and implemented programs and policies of the City Council and Mayor of Oakland.
Mr. Reiskin holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University’s Stern School of Business, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.