Coming straight out of left field, the Washington Times today is speculating that District City Administrator Robert Bobb is another maybe, potentially, who knows, we’ll see candidate for mayor. Writes the newspaper:

D.C. Democrats are talking privately about whether City Administrator Robert C. Bobb will jump into the already crowded race for mayor…”There continues to be a fair amount of discussion about Robert Bobb being a possible candidate for mayor,” said Mr. Bolden, an at-large candidate for D.C. Council. “That would make the mayor’s race even more interesting and competitive than it is right now.”

It may be a stretch to speculate this early on as to Bobb’s intentions, but his ascension to mayoral candidate would closely parallel Mayor Anthony Williams’ own jump into elected politics (he served as District CFO during Mayor Marion Barry’s fourth and final term). It would also allow the current mayor to keep his endorsement in the family, with someone he trusts to faithfully carry on in his stead.

Bobb has never held elected office, but he has become something of a city administrator extraordinaire, serving in the capacity in Oakland, California; Richmond, Virginia; Kalamazoo, Michigan; and Santa Ana, California. He may seem a little technocratic, but then again, so did Williams in 1998 and 2002. And according to some, the District is pining for some more Williams-tastic mayoring.

Bobb has had his little scandals, but even the big scandals have never stopped anyone from being elected to the city’s highest post.

Oh Marion, we heart you.