The City of Compton has hired the Assistant City Manager of the City of Carson Cecil Rhambo to be their next City Manager. Rhambo will replace interim city Manager Jerry Groomes who was once the long time city Manager of Carson.
Rhambo was hired in 2014 as Carson’s Assistant City Manager after retiring from a 31 year career with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and 38 years overall from the County of Los Angeles. Rhambo rose to the rank of Assistant Sheriff and, at one time, had overall command of approximately half of the 18,000 employees within the Department. He was responsible for Jail operations, the Gang Bureau, the Special Weapons Team, Homeland Security, the Los Angeles Community Colleges, and the massive Metro bus and rail lines. In early 2001, Rhambo commanded patrol personnel at the Compton Station and led a very successful reduction in crime and won over the trust and praise of the community through the implementation of a number of community policing practices.
As the Assistant City Manager in the City of Carson, Rhambo administered much of the day to day operation of the city and had direct reports in Public Safety, Parks, Recreation and Human Services, Human Resources, Transportation, Code and Parking Enforcement, Information Technology, and Emergency Services.
Rhambo’s top priorities are taking aggressive steps to get a balanced budget to the City Council on time, assess and prioritize the City’s crumbling infrastructure, assess personnel and equipment needs, and make policy and procedure recommendations to the Mayor and Council to ensure more accountability.
“I’m excited!” exclaimed Rhambo. “My parents moved to Compton in 1950, it was my first home. As the first full time commanding officer from the Sheriff’s Department to police the city after the merger of the Compton Police Department, I developed a passion for the city. I patrolled the streets, met with the residents, held grieving mothers and celebrated graduations. This is a wonderful community that just needs team work and a commitment from all of the team members. I think this is a great council with passionate leaders willing to do the tough job of literally transforming Compton. I’m extremely humbled and honored to be part of their team.”
Rhambo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Humboldt State University, a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Woodbury University, and has completed approximately one half of his Master’s in Public Administration from Long Beach State University. He resides in the Southbay with his daughter Rachel, 20 and son Cecil III, 16. He enjoys outdoor activities, jogging, swimming, and spending time with his kids.
