Roberts' Presidential Office

Ron Roberts, Hamilton County's deputy administrator, got a new office today that adjoins the office of Patrick Thompson, whose first day as Administrator is today.

Roberts' new office has one wall filled with photos of him shaking hands with the political elite over his lifetime -- including Presidents Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and the first George Bush -- as the chief of staff to former Cincinnati Congressman Bill Gradison and campaign manager for many other politicians across the country.

There also are three pieces of furniture that are symbolic of the Commissioners' desire to be efficient and tight with taxpayer money.

Roberts has a bookcase and and old desk he uses for storing documents. Both were old pieces of furniture that already belonged to Hamilton County and Roberts had them restained.

But the working desk Roberts uses - sitting in the same room with pictures of presidents - is the old dining room table he and his wife, Sarah, bought in 1970.

"It was one of the first pieces of furniture we bought," Roberts said.

After the table was given for his daughter to use -- "It was her first dining room table, too," Roberts said -- she returned it to her parents who stored it in their basement. Until today.