Romer would consider post at San Francisco Fed

Christina Romer said Friday she would consider the top spot at the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, once it officially opens up. 

Romer, who announced late Thursday her Sept. 3 departure as chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers, will return to northern California to her former teaching position at the University of California at Berkeley. Romer said she's heading home because her son is starting high school. 

"I am certainly headed back to my job at Berkeley, which I loved and am looking forward to doing," Romer said today during an interview on MSNBC. "I would be honored to be considered by the San Francisco Fed but, of course, that's not a decision for me to make or for anyone at the White House to play a role in."

Janet Yellen, the bank's current president of the San Francisco Fed, has been nominated to assume the No. 2 position on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. 

The Senate held over her nomination for action until after the summer recess. The nominations of Yellen and Maryland regulator Sarah Raskin, nominated to fill long-empty seats on the board, are expected to get a vote sometime after the Senate returns in September. 

Meanwhile, a third nomination, that of Peter Diamond, an MIT economist, was sent back to the White House, a blow to the push to fill the central bank's long-time vacancies. 

During today's interview, Romer brushed off reports that there were tensions within President Obama's economic team.  

"I feel very strongly that my voice has absolutely been heard, and I also have to tell you I feel the economics team has learned to work together very well," she said. 

"I know there were lots of reports of some fireworks early on, but the truth is we have become good friends and good colleagues, and I think we've served the president well."

On matters of the economy, Romer isn't concerned about a double-dip recession despite the slowness of the recovery. 

"No. I am not worried about a double dip," she said. "You know, what you said at the beginning, we see sort of slow, steady employment growth in the private sector. We've added 71,000 jobs. That's clearly not good enough."

Romer said she expects the president to spend the near-term urging support for small business legislation that Congress put off until after the break.