By Dick Foreman
A massive Diet Coke is clutched in his hands. I am convinced there must be some secret sauce in that massive drink; Bob Robson is tireless.
During his years at the legislature, he was often seen sipping that barrel of juice in the capitol mall which was, in my view, highly unusual. The Capitol Mall, the area between the House and the Senate, is no-man’s land. It’s where lobbyists buttonhole members for their last-minute, desperation causes. Members generally do not like that.
So here’s what one needs to understand: Bob Robson loved the mall. Robson owned the mall.
As Rules Chairman and House Speaker Pro Tem, Robson was leadership. He was a skilled veteran of the legislative wars. He tackled cyber-security issues before it was cool; he took on child pornography when nobody wanted a bill with that kind of karma on their resume.
He was also one of the principal legislators who brought the multi-billion-dollar bio science research component to our state universities and largely brokered the Mayo Clinic state land trust deal.
And, last November, after a total of 22 years in elective office, he was defeated in his bid for re-election. Perhaps he was a just a bit too pragmatic for us.
But Robson doesn’t leave office with a whimper. This is the same man who, while enjoying lunch with his family with just two weeks left in his term on the Chandler City Council, was confronted by a woman complaining about her rusty trash receptacle. Robson made a call to Public Works and got it replaced that afternoon. A month later, he ran across the woman’s husband. The husband told Robson that his wife had passed away, but that she took great solace that her complaint had affected city hall and that she had gotten herself a new trashcan.
Robson claims that story as one of his finest achievements.
“Government should work for the people,” he says simply, adding, not even wistfully, “It’s not only the big things…”
Today, the Diet Coke has become clear water colored with cranberry juice or those tasty drops that turn an ordinary glass of water into hummingbird food.
He still loves ice cream, and as the only member of the legislature to have had a freezer in his office with ice cream sandwiches, I guess lobbyists will just have to buy their own from now on.
You see, Robson actually paid for every one of those sandwiches he gave out.
The man has more energy than ever, is still unintimidated by politics, political bosses, or any special interest. As he puts it, “Dumpsters and traffic lights are my specialty.”
And, I would add, properly funded schools, universities, community colleges and veterans’ services, just to name a few.
Alas, there’s still plenty to do for a practical, problem solver like Bob Robson.
Dick Foreman, a longtime Tempe resident, is president and CEO of Arizona Business Coalition and former communications director for Southwest Gas.
