RETIREMENT Proclamation
Robert Nowak Day in Houston, TX / June 2, 2026
June 2, 2026: From left to right: Council Member Willie Davis, Bob Nowak, Mayor John Whitmire
Retirement Proclamation
On Friday, May 22, 2026, Robert “Bob” Nowak, City Webmaster, retires as a City of Houston employee after almost 32 years of service. Affectionately known as “Bob,” he is one of the few City employees whose name alone is instantly recognized by colleagues throughout City Hall.
Hired by Mayor Lanier’s Co-Chief of Staff, the legendary Jimmie Schindewolf, Bob clocked in and began his first day of work for the City on June 14, 1994. Bob wrote speeches and handled citizen correspondence in the pre-internet and pre-311 era for Schindewolf in his other role as Director of Public Works and Engineering. In 1997, Public Works and Engineering became the first City department to administer its own content on the City website, with Bob serving as the Public Works Webmaster.
In October 1998, during the first year of the Mayor Lee Brown Administration, Bob became the second City Webmaster in the City’s history and has served in that role ever since with the utmost professionalism and friendliness. He has delivered timely website updates for the City’s myriad departments and divisions through numerous events and celebrations, as well as through some of the most challenging periods in Houston’s history.
To date, Bob has administered the websites for five mayoral administrations, five City Controllers, and seventy-seven Council Members. During his more than 27 years as City Webmaster, he has completed an estimated 45,000 service requests involving more than 7,500 unique webpages. A constant presence in the workplace, Bob has held only two positions with the City, has reported to 32 supervisors, and remains in his 18th consecutive year of perfect attendance.
As he punches out for the final time, closing out his remarkable record of perfect attendance, the City of Houston proudly recognizes Bob for his outstanding and collaborative work and commends his public service in ensuring a reliable City website for the benefit of Houstonians and all who depend on it. He will be truly missed by his many friends throughout City Hall, especially by colleagues who have relied on his expertise to make sense of—and make possible—their sometimes unclear and seemingly endless requests.
On this milestone occasion, the City of Houston, along with all its employees, sincerely extends its best wishes to Bob Nowak for continued success and happiness as he spends his time tending his garden and enjoying life in the city he loves most.
THEREFORE, I, John Whitmire, Mayor of the City of Houston, hereby proclaim May 22, 2026, as Bob Nowak Day in Houston, Texas.