Lily Rossi Dies

Lily Rossi, the former city clerk who for 23 years represented the “face” of City Hall for thousands of residents, died last week. In her post, Rossi exuded a combination of warmth, competence, and customer concern that was dramatically at odds with the stereotype of the indifferent bureaucrat. Rossi’s dedication to providing the public — and the press — with basic public information about city functions sometimes created tensions with the city administrators under whom she served. When she retired in 1998, Mayor Harriet Miller issued a public proclamation extolling her graciousness, generosity, kindness, and compassion. After retiring from the City of Santa Barbara, she served two years with the City of Goleta, then in its infancy.