Despite some members voicing concerns over a rushed process, Richmond City Council easily confirmed Mayor Danny Avula’s pick for the next top administrator at City Hall.
None of the nine councilors voted against Odie Donald II’s nomination for the role of chief administrative officer, with the final vote coming in at 7–0. (Kenya Gibson, of the 3rd District, abstained; 1st District Councilor Andrew “Gumby” Breton was absent.)
Avula announced his nomination of Donald, currently Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ chief of staff, in a press release last Friday. Donald previously served as a city administrator for two other Georgia localities: the City of South Fulton and Augusta-Richmond County.
Donald, whose annual base salary will be $365,000, will start on July 9. As CAO, he will run City Hall’s day-to-day administrative operations, prepare the mayor’s budget proposal, oversee department heads and fulfill other key roles.
“From day one, we'll hit the ground running – focused on building a thriving City Hall that supports the community and delivers for Richmond's families,” Donald said in a statement after council approved his nomination.
Some City Council members expressed frustration that the CAO decision, seen as one of the mayor’s most important responsibilities, was revealed one working day before Monday’s expedited confirmation vote.
“I absolutely recognize the urgency of filling this role, but I don’t think that necessitates announcing the appointment on Friday and voting the next business day,” Gibson said before the vote.
Citing the short notice to confirm such a critical position, 6th District Councilor Ellen Robertson asked for more time to consider Donald’s experience.
“I think that’s a fair request,” Robertson said. “However, I am one vote on City Council.”
Gibson said that rushing the confirmation vote would undermine public trust in a time of “widespread loss of faith” in the city government’s competence due to “indisputable failures of delivering public services.”
“Our task is to provide checks and balances,” Gibson said. “The CAO is the most powerful position in our government.”
While council members lauded Donald’s resume and said they trusted Avula to pick a qualified candidate, some echoed concerns raised by Gibson and Robertson. Among them was 4th District Councilor Sarah Abubaker, who also said she wished there was more time to review Donald’s credentials.
Gibson and others pointed out that Donald’s contract was shared with the council hours before Monday’s vote, leaving them little to no time to fully review it — or Donald’s qualifications.
Councilors also said they hoped to meet Donald at Monday’s meeting, but Avula said he couldn’t make it because he had two speaking engagements for his current job in Atlanta.
After the vote, Avula told reporters he “definitely wanted to provide a lot more time for engagement,” but other factors compressed the timeline for the announcement.
“Because of where Atlanta was in their process, where they were in their communications, I really felt like it was important to both honor our candidate and the Atlanta mayor and them going through their process, which set us back,” Avula said.
Avula said he contacted councilors about his desire to pick Donald, but said that council’s ultimate role in the CAO decision is limited to approving — or rejecting — the hire and contract.
Donald was nominated after a five-month national search that Avula promised during his campaign, a process that Avula said cost the city $60,000 and included looking at over 200 candidates. In total, Avula said his administration interviewed five CAO candidates.
Avula told council members Donald quickly stood out among the pool as the “strongest candidate,” highlighting his executive experience in city government and work in major cities.
The mayor added Donald “is a warm, humble, and deeply grounded person with the right qualities to lead our city's workforce and to partner effectively with City Council.”
Donald’s salary as CAO is at the top end of the approved range, a move that Avula said he was more than willing to make. Under his contract, Donald will also get $13,500 a year in deferred compensation and money to relocate and for temporary housing.
In the press gaggle after Monday’s vote, Avula said he was confident that Donald would be committed to staying in Richmond.
“I don't think anybody uproots themselves from a high-paying executive job in a city that he's from to come to a new place if he didn't think the opportunity was right,” Avula said.
Council also voted Monday to approve Sharon Ebert, Richmond’s deputy chief administrative officer for planning and economic development, as interim CAO before Donald joins the city. The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 23.
