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Legislator Profile - Representative Bob Robson Representative Bob Robson is nothing if not loyal. Indeed, loyalty is a fundamental propellant of his brilliant journey through life. His decisions and actions are largely guided by deep and abiding loyalty to family, to friends, and to country. It is a feature in his character that has served him well - as a kid learning the ropes of life in New York City; as a respected security professional; as a successful academic; and, currently, as a popular elected official. Robson is living proof of the proposition that you can take the kid out of New York, but you'll never take New York out of the kid. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, Robson is proud of his gritty urban upbringing. A product of the New York public school system, he easily and quickly rattles off the city schools of his youth: "P.S. 89; P.S. 150; Woodside Junior High; Long Island City High School, in an industrial area near the 59th Street Bridge." Though he was a conscientious and successful student, Robson was educated as much on the streets of New York as he was in the classroom. He fondly remembers his youth as a streetwise youngster spending hours with his pals playing softball on concrete. ("The bruises didn't hurt as much [as those caused by baseballs], but they were a lot bigger.") Robson was born into a family of public safety professionals, including: a grandfather who worked for the NYPD for 40 years; a stepfather who was in the Secret Service and served on two presidential security details; and various cousins, uncles and in-laws who dedicated their lives to police work and security. Consequently, Robson inherited both a strong sense of justice and a passionate interest in criminal issues. Accordingly, he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Master of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice from John Jay College in New York. Putting his academic knowledge to practical use, Robson worked in a variety of security jobs in New York and elsewhere. Among other things, he provided private security to the infamous billionaire and hotel magnate, Leona Helmsley, popularly known as the "Queen of Mean." Although Robson has enough inside dope about Helmsley to publish a series of tell-all books, the disclosure of secrets is not his style. Instead, he exhibits tight-lipped loyalty to his former client and declines to dish - even though Helmsley died in 2007 (leaving $12 million to her dog, "Trouble"). "Patriotism is just loyalty to friends, people, families." Robert Santos. By and by, Robson's aging parents relocated to Arizona due to critical health issues. It was then that Robson chose to become an Arizonan too. The decision was easy. "You only have one family," he (loyally) observes. Ominously, Robson executed his move to Arizona on Friday, April 13, 1980. Lacking connections in his new home state, he had to start all over and reinvented himself as an insurance agent. "I went from one CPL to another," he recalls. "I was in criminal procedure law and moved to comprehensive personal liability." One thing that Robson did bring with him to Arizona was his lifelong love of politics. As a youth of 13, he worked on Richard Nixon's first winning presidential campaign, and he re-upped at age 17 for the re-election effort. Consequently, he was invited to both of Nixon's inaugurations. He also got to know members of Nixon's palace guard, including Herb Klein and Ron Ziegler (who, at 29, became the youngest White House press secretary in history). As a teenager, Robson also worked for Nelson Rockefeller, the longtime governor of New York who later served as Vice President under Gerald Ford. Immediately upon his arrival in Arizona, Robson got involved in his new community and jumped headlong into civic affairs. A member of Kiwanis since the age of nineteen, he joined a local chapter of the international service organization. He also volunteered for the Salvation Army (and served as its chairman for five years), helped found the Chandler Boys and Girls Club, chaired the Chandler Charter Review Committee, and later received an appointment to serve on the Planning and Zoning Commission of the City of Chandler. He was elected to the city council in 1992, where his peers selected him to serve as vice mayor. Robson served on the Chandler City Council for eight years, at a time when the city held the distinction of being the fastest growing community in the United States. He sunk his teeth deep into the job ("council meetings would regularly last until two or three in the morning," he remembers) and helped tackle the complex challenges attendant to explosive municipal growth. The experience invested him with a perspective on cities and towns nearly unique among state legislators. As a former councilman, Robson is sometimes frustrated that his colleagues don't have a greater understanding of the role - or appreciation for the importance - of cities and towns. "I am truly perplexed that people [in the Legislature] don't have a better understanding of which services are rendered by cities and which are the responsibilities of the State," Robson observes. "There needs to be more recognition of the authority of cities to do their jobs without our interference." "Loyalty is still the same, whether it win or lose the game; true as a dial to the sun, although it be not shined upon." Samuel Butler Robson returned to the Arizona House to represent Legislative District 20 after a two-year hiatus. His previous service of eight years in the House (six of which he spent in leadership positions) makes him one of the most experienced legislators at the Capitol. Indeed, he holds the Arizona record for length of service as Speaker Pro Tem, having served in that position under two different Speakers of the House. Robson's colleagues are happy he's back - largely because he has a record of introducing at least some creature comforts to an institution in which they are noticeably absent. He arranged for the installation of the second floor Coke machine and serves as a bottomless source of ice cream sandwiches for his fellow representatives. "I suggested to [former Speaker] Weiers that we get a soft-serve ice cream dispenser for the penthouse," he laughs. "Instead, I got a freezer in my office that I stock with frozen treats from Costco. The good will they buy is worth their weight in fructose." Representative Robson has a profile and a presence that is hard to miss at the Arizona Capitol. With his booming voice, towering frame, razor-sharp intellect, engaging manner, and signature Diet Coke, one gets the impression that he would be at ease with royalty and the downtrodden alike. Coupling a broad scope of interests with profound empathy, he has an uncanny ability to connect with people from all walks of life. The Honorable Boyd Dunn, former Chandler mayor and League president, worked shoulder-to-shoulder with Robson when the two served together on the Chandler City Council. Dunn continues to admire his former colleague for his intelligence, work ethic, affability and hearty appetite for life. Dunn recounts that the two traveled together to New York on city business: "I felt I was with the mayor of Gotham. Bob seemed to know everyone, from doormen to federal judges, as personal friends. And it was the same thing when we traveled to Washington, D.C. During a visit there, we had a private meeting with Sandra Day O'Connor, and Bob proceeded to have an intimate discussion with the Justice about John Jay, a founding father of the United States and the first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court." When Robson is not legislating, writing insurance policies, peddling ice cream, or educating Supreme Court justices, he is teaching a course at ASU to undergraduates on the topic of police accountability. "It's a course grounded in real-world experience," he says. "I'm not a professor who gets his knowledge from a textbook." Otherwise, he is spending time with his wife Dawna and helping raise his two sons. American author Napolean Hill, one of the great writers on personal success, once observed: "Lack of loyalty is one of the major causes of failure in every walk of life." If the obverse is true, then Representative Bob Robson should expect nothing less than a rich and fulfilling lifetime of success. |
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Legislative Bulletin is published by the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. Forward your comments or suggestions to league@azleague.org. |
