OLDSMAR — Women still take home less pay than men. But at least one husband is willing to leave his job and move halfway around the globe to support his wife's career.
City Council member Greg Rublee is resigning, effective Dec. 31, so that Maria Rost Rublee can pursue her specialty: nuclear nonproliferation. She will join the faculty of the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
"He's always been an extremely supportive spouse," she said Monday. "He's just fantastic."
The couple have an 11-month-old daughter, River, and they both teach at the University of Tampa. Maria, 37, teaches international relations, and Greg, 43, teaches global issues.
He withdrew from the county race for supervisor of elections and will leave the council about two months before his term would have expired. He hopes residents will understand.
"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said, for his wife.
• • •
The Rublees met in a Soviet studies class while students at Evangel College in Springfield, Mo., now called Evangel University. She was the managing editor of the school newspaper, and he was the paper's advertising manager. They have a running joke about it.
"I say I was his boss, and he says he was an independent contractor," she said. "If I was his boss, it was the only time."
Later, Greg worked at the Pentagon as a civilian while she got her doctorate in political science at George Washington University. They spent nearly a year in New Zealand about 16 years ago and loved it. It's a country that Maria said is known for its work in nuclear nonproliferation.
"The country has a lot of support," she said, "research funds that will help me."
New Zealand has wonderful people, a low crime rate and beautiful scenery, Greg said.
"We're still American citizens, and we love the U.S.," he said. "But this is like a second home that we'll be spending some time in."
• • •
On the City Council, Greg Rublee has often expressed his opinion without regard to whether others might agree. Council member Janice Miller, also fearless in expressing an opinion, will hit her term limit in March. So her position also will be up for election in March.
"I think we stirred things up a little," Rublee said, referring to Miller and himself.
For example, Rublee views Oldsmar's recent rush to annex East Lake Woodlands and nearby businesses in a different light than other officials do. "I think I'm the only one on the council who came out as opposed to the annexation," he said.
One of his concerns is that annexing 6,000 residents who live in a gated community will change the character of Oldsmar, making it less like an open, interactive town and more like a bedroom community.
"There are visions of revenue dancing in some of their heads," he said.
Times researcher Shirl Kennedy contributed to this report. Theresa Blackwell can be reached at tblackwell@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4170.
>>Fast facts
Open seats on City Council
The city will wait to see who qualifies in the next two months to run for Greg Rublee's position before appointing someone to fill out his term, said city clerk Lisa Lene.
If only one person qualifies, the council will most likely appoint that person to the position, she said. But if more than one qualifies, the council will choose someone who is not running for the job to occupy the seat until the March 10 election.
The qualifying period for the election for Seat 1 and Seat 3 starts Nov. 3 and continues through Dec. 5. Candidates must be registered voters and must have been residents for at least a year. They must take oaths, pay fees and submit forms that include 150 verified Oldsmar voter signatures on petition cards. Visit http://www.ci.oldsmar.fl.us and click on the city clerk tab or call (813) 749-1115 or (813) 749-1116.
[Last modified: Oct 27, 2008 02:06 PM]
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