Bob Massa, finance director for the City of Forest Acres

In January 2005, Bob Massa and his wife relocated to Columbia when he replaced the retired finance director for Forest Acres. His son had lived in Forest Acres for several years prior to being transferred to Hilton Head Island. Massa said he and his wife “desired to be closer to him and his family. I have one child, a 33–year–old son who is married. He and his wife have three boys ages five, three, and nine months that we greatly enjoy.”

Finance Director Massa is a certified public accountant with a BS in accounting and an MBA from Bradley University in Peoria, IL. He has held various financial management positions over the past 30 years since his discharge from the Air Force. Before coming to Forest Acres he was the finance director for a 300–bed county nursing home in IL.

Massa has always been interested in the political process and upon his discharge from service he made an unsuccessful run for town council where he lived. When Massa was working for Peoria County he “had to attend their council meetings as well as participate in various sub–committee meetings which always proved interesting. It taught me that decision–making wasn’t always a win–lose process and usually in the long–run the best decision was some form of compromise.” He feels that working in the public sector allows one to give something back to the community.

When he and his wife decided to relocate to be closer to his son and his family, the City of Forest Acres position piqued his interest and seemed most challenging. During his interview for the job, he was very impressed with the city administrator’s knowledge and skills, so he accepted the job when it was offered.

The Massas love Forest Acres’ small town atmosphere and big city advantages as well as the friendly people, abundant trees, and beautiful homes with lovely landscaped yards. Bob Massa enjoys the safe residential ambiance combined with the fact that one still has access to wonderful restaurants and nice shopping facilities. His vision for the future of Forest Acres includes limited growth due to the fact that it is really a land–locked community. He advocates continued fiscal responsibility and is dedicated to provision of excellent services to city residents.

In his free time Massa enjoys reading, playing golf, and participating in other outdoor activities with his three grandsons and his dogs.