City Council affirms mayor’s pick of Odie Donald as next Richmond CAO

Odie Donald II, who has served three years as chief of staff to the mayor of Atlanta, is Richmond’s next chief administrator. (Image courtesy Georgia State University)

Just three days after the appointment was announced, City Council OK’d Mayor Danny Avula’s choice for the next chief administrator to lead City Hall.

Council voted 7-0 at its meeting Monday night to support the hire of Odie Donald II as Richmond’s next full-time chief administrative officer.

Donald, 47, has nearly two decades of executive level experience in municipal government in Georgia, including stints as city manager for South Fulton and administrator for Augusta-Richmond County. Most recently he has served three years as chief of staff to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.

Monday’s vote came one business day after Avula announced Donald as his pick in a release that went out late Friday afternoon. Councilmember Kenya Gibson, who abstained from the vote, cited the short notice as her reason for doing so. Councilmember Andrew Breton was absent from the meeting.

“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, adding that the expedited resolution was not included in the meeting’s advertised agenda and that council was provided Donald’s contract only hours before the meeting.

“I haven’t read it. This gives me pause, and I’m not alone,” Gibson said. “When we rush a decision this important, I think we risk undermining public trust and the longevity of any appointment that we make.”

Ellen Robertson, who ultimately voted in favor of Donald, also took issue with the timing and asked that the vote be deferred a couple weeks to allow council time to do its own due diligence. She also said she was looking forward to meeting Donald in person and was disappointed he was not present for the vote.

“I don’t think there’s anything more important than the council having 100 percent solid support for the person that we’re going to bring into this job and the big task that they’re going to take on,” Robertson said. “We’ve got some major challenges that are before us.”

Mayor Danny Avula addresses council before Monday’s vote. (Jonathan Spiers photos)

Other councilmembers said they would hold Donald accountable after allowing the mayor to make his hire, noting Donald’s experience in municipal government and the five-month national search conducted by Robert Bobb Group and PoliHire.

“We don’t need a continuance on this. We need a CAO tonight,” Reva Trammell said.

The CAO role has been filled on an interim basis since January. Moments before Monday’s vote, council unanimously approved Avula’s appointment of Sharon Ebert as interim CAO, following the departure of Sabrina Joy-Hogg, who had been serving as interim since previous CAO Lincoln Saunders resigned in December after four years in the role under former mayor Levar Stoney.

Ebert, the city’s deputy CAO for economic and community development, will serve as interim until Donald’s expected July 9 start date. Brandon Hinton, a deputy county manager with Henrico, is filling Joy-Hogg’s previous role as DCAO for finance and administration while “on loan” from the county through the summer.

In remarks before the vote, Avula said Donald was selected from a pool of over 200 candidates and stood out for his experience and track record with economic development initiatives. Avula said Donald would reside in the city, and he told council he was recommending the top end of council’s approved CAO salary range for Donald, who is set to be paid $365,000 a year.

Avula launched a national search for a new CAO in January.

Avula added that Donald was not looking for a new job but was identified by Robert Bobb Group as a prospective candidate who would be a good fit.

“If we are serious about improving our city operations and building a government that truly serves our residents, we need to invest in top-tier leadership,” Avula said.

In a release put out after the meeting, Donald said he is “deeply honored by Mayor Danny Avula’s trust in me to serve the people of Richmond as Chief Administrative Officer.”

“Throughout my career, I’ve been passionate about building strong, effective teams that truly deliver for residents—from streamlining services and improving infrastructure to fostering economic development that benefits everyone,” Donald was quoted as saying.

“Richmond has incredible potential, and I’m excited to work alongside the talented City staff and dynamic City Council to, together, build a strong foundation for thriving neighborhoods, an efficient City Hall, and a city where every resident has the opportunity to succeed.”

An Atlanta native, Donald has served as president of the metro Atlanta chapter of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators and on the Georgia Forward Board of Directors. At 6 feet 8 inches tall, he was a basketball standout at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and at Georgia State University, where he received a bachelor’s in history and a master’s in business administration.

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