ATLANTA -- Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced a major shakeup in her administration on Friday, as the GBI continues to investigate an open records request from Georgia's Attorney General.
"On April 9, I asked all current Cabinet members to submit their resignations," Bottoms said. "In the weeks ahead, I will finalize new roles under a refreshed organizational chart. This restructuring will enable me to continue the momentum made during the first quarter of the year and effectively implement my strategy for making Atlanta a more affordable, resilient, and equitable city."
Bottoms said national searches are underway to find a new aviation general manager, fire chief, chief procurement officer, commissioner of human resources, chief information officer and chief education officer.
Bottoms also said several other cabinet members will transition externally, and their positions will be backfilled over the next few months:
- Jim Beard, Chief Financial Officer
- Jeremy Berry, City Attorney
- Catherine Buell, President and CEO, Atlanta Housing Authority
- Faye DiMassimo, Renew Atlanta General Manager
- Amy Phuong, Commissioner Parks and Recreation
- Stephanie Stuckey, Chief Resilience Officer
- Anne Torres, Communications Director
Melissa Mullinax, senior policy advisor and Janquell Peters, chief service officer, will transition into different roles within the city, Bottoms said.
Beard is currently attending a class at Harvard University at a cost of $60,000 to the city, and he is being paid until May 18, his last day. The training was approved last year under then-Mayor Kasim Reed.
SEE: Resignation letters from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms' cabinet
Earlier this week, GBI agents held several meetings with city employees regarding an open records investigation at the city's law office.
Reed also came under fire this week for awarding hundreds of thousands of dollars to his cabinet members, as well as thousands of dollars in cash prizes at a 2017 holiday party.
On Wednesday, the Atlanta city council’s finance executive committee called for an independent investigation into those bonuses and gifts. Committee members want to determine if the bonuses violated local or state laws.
“We have an audit and ethics department fully independent of the administration and the city council,” said Council President Felicia Moore. “Both need to be involved in this discussion. We’re going to leave it to them to do their best work and I’m sure they will.”
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