Palo Alto fills two positions, names its first black fire chief

‘Each ... has devoted their career to public service’

Palo Alto City Manager Ed Shikada on Thursday named familiar faces to two of the city’s highest-ranking positions.

Geo Blackshire, a 21-year veteran of the Palo Alto Fire Department, was named as the city’s new fire chief.

And Philip Kamhi, the city’s former transportation planning manager, was named as the city’s new chief transportation official.

“We are extremely proud to announce the selection of two extraordinary public stewards in Blackshire and Kamhi,” Shikada said. “Each of these individuals has devoted their career to public service, and Palo Alto will be well served by their professional leadership.”

Blackshire, who has been serving as the city’s interim fire chief since January, will become the department’s first black leader.

Blackshire began as a Palo Alto firefighter in 1997 and worked his way up to a fire engineer, fire captain, battalion chief and deputy chief of operations and support services, according to a city press release.

Following his confirmation by city council on Aug. 5, Blackshire will permanently replace former chief Eric Nickel, who left for the fire chief role in Santa Barbara.

He will receive an annual salary of $258,000, according to the city.

“The Palo Alto Fire Department is a world- class fire department verified by national accreditation and confirmed by the community’s acknowledgment of the excellent customer service provided by the firefighters,” Blackshire said. “My goal is to continue this tradition by being a collaborative partner with City leadership and the community.”

From March 2017-March 2018, Kamhi served as the second- in- command for the city’s transportation