Oakland's administrator is finalist for Dallas job

Oakland administrator Deanna Santana is a finalist in Dallas. Oakland administrator Deanna Santana is a finalist in Dallas. Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Oakland's administrator is finalist for Dallas job 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Oakland City Administrator Deanna Santana showed last week that she is ready, willing and able to leave Oakland for greener pastures.

On Friday, she confirmed that she is among five finalists for a city manager's job in Dallas.

Santana also said she had received calls from more than a half dozen other interested parties.

"This is an opportunity to review all the decisions in front of me and make the best decision for me and my family," Santana said.

It was the first public disclosure that Santana is looking for a new job, but it's something that Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and those close to Santana have known for a while. And Santana is not the only ranking staff member with an interest in moving on.

Quan's chief of staff, Anne Campbell Washington, said she will leave the mayor's office in the next two months to focus her efforts on her work as a member of the Oakland school board.

City Hall sources said Quan asked Santana to stay on several months ago and at least one mayoral candidate has asked about her availability should that person prevail in the November 2014 Oakland mayor's race.

Her departure would be a blow not only to Quan's administration - but also to the residents of Oakland as well.

"It would be a loss for the city," said Councilwoman Libby Schaaf, a candidate in next year's mayor's race. "She's been a strong, competent, ethical leader."

Hiring Santana in June 2011 was considered a feather in Quan's cap. The arrival of a capable, experienced top administrator with the knowledge to implement best practices and work with the city's elected officials to address the city's most serious issues suggested a step in the right direction.

She bolstered a clearly shaken Quan through the Occupy Oakland demonstrations in her first few months on the job. The events around the monthlong protest seemed to shape Santana's relationship with Quan.

Santana stepped in to prevent Quan from giving city workers a paid day off so they could join the protest during the Occupy encampment. Had it not been for Santana, Quan may well have joined her husband and daughter in marches against the city she was elected to lead.

Santana has tried, in vain, to make Quan - and some members of the City Council - understand the difference between their roles as elected officials and activists. Obviously, she has struggled to create a collegial, open atmosphere.

Her efforts to introduce good government policies - or reacquaint council members with the City Charter rules they swore to uphold - have been met with resistance and false accusations. Some Oakland council members accused her of trying to implement "new" rules.

Santana has been described by critics as controlling when she attempted to introduce standard management practices to a civic body that has no standards or management.

If Santana left tomorrow she would have at least exposed one ugly truth to Oakland residents: The rules we are all asked to live by do not apply to some of our elected officials. They feel entitled to pick and choose the laws they will follow.

News of Santana's possible departure couldn't come at a worse time for Quan, who faces what will likely be a tough re-election.

Santana is widely regarded as one of the top city managers in the country, yet her best attempts at reining in Oakland's reckless government antics have achieved only partial success.

That says a whole lot more about the challenges of governance and political leadership in Oakland than it does about Santana's management abilities.