Three months into Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ term, and she is already shaking things up at City Hall. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Bottoms on Monday asked for the resignations of her entire cabinet, including rappers T.I. and Killer Mike.
A city official tells the AJC that Bottoms told her cabinet she will decide whose resignations to accept and whose she will decline.
At the beginning of her term, Bottoms told former Mayor Kasim Reed’s staff that they could stay on for 90 days. Now the time period is up and she wants them to clear out their desks.
Bottoms’ move comes after a hit-piece was published by the AJC.com last week. The article detailed how Bottoms walked back promises she made during her 2017 campaign to wipe out corruption and restore ethics in City Hall.
Within hours after former city manager Rev. Mitzi Bickers was indicted Thursday on charges of bribery, money laundering, and wire fraud, the AJC.com repeatedly tried to reach out to Mayor Bottoms for an interview.
Bottoms, who eagerly took calls from reporters last year when she was running for office, refused to return any of the AJC’s phone calls.
Instead, she responded to written questions submitted to her office by an AJC reporter.
Her answers revealed that she has walked back at least 3 of the points in a 10-point plan she developed during her campaign to address corruption and ethics violations within the mayor’s office.
She apparently walked back her plan to appoint an outside independent auditor to look over the city of Atlanta’s bidding process. An independent auditor might have explained how Rev. Mitzi Bickers managed to steer a $5.5 million snow removal contract to a contractor in 2014 — a year after she left city employment.
Bickers’ ability to rig the bidding process — even though she no longer worked for Kasim Reed — would indicate that Bickers had connections inside Reed’s administration.
But according to the AJC, “Bottoms has not appointed an independent auditor, but instead appears to be relying on the city’s internal auditor.”
Is Bottoms protecting Reed by not appointing the independent auditor?
scratchin’ and survivin’
HAHAHAHA.
After the social media beating “Killer Mike” got online the last couple days…Im not surprised……
Yo Sandra, Where is the post on Killer Mike getting dragged for trying to call out Joy Reid and putting his foot in his mouth?
“A city official said that Bottoms has also told her cabinet — a group that includes 35 top city officials — that she will decide by the end of the week whose resignations she will accept and whose she will decline.
That official, who declined to be identified, was asked to resign.”
Why did they decline to be identified? If you got enough bad ass in you to call the AJC to damn TELL IT…at least give your name. Coward. Probably one of the ones whose city issued cell phone has already been disconnected.
I bet … You can’t put ignorant ninjas on … Who’s bright idea was that in the first place … Start over.. ???
Wait wait wait lol say what now??
welp…knew that was not going to last….
chile apparently the cabinets done turned into a celebrity show case … Walk the red carpet only type mess in the government office.. These cats aren’t activist and shouldnt be in any leadership positions … Who’s idea was it ROFL … Chile ???? whew tickled
Trace, why were they there to begin with?
Exactly.
Look at the frauds in Trump’s cabinet.
We as a people need to do better.
Interesting, contractor bribery happens in a lot of major cities, Detroit, Cleveland, Dallas, Atlanta (Bill Campbell). You have a job that pays a lot and you give your family and friends a heads up. Mitzi was sloppy, bought a mansion and expensive cars. Shirley Franklin fired Campbell’s people, just like Trump fired Obama’s. Mitzi gave snow removal contracts to 2 large black owned contractors who didn’t even own snow plows. I think KR is going down for the airport contractors scheme, FBI is closing in and the bribe money has ran out.
Didn’t own snow plows?!?!? But please tell me they purchased a few after receiving the funds….
they were awarded a snow removal contract with NO plows? shA! what is this?!
Hahahaha!
I’m in Indiana where we get real snow…why would Atlanta need that much time and effort devoted to snow removal????
tween the way this climate change is set up and fact of the matter, if you got the contract you best be able to deliver
I was about to ask the same thing,
Who thought someone named “Killer Mike” belonged on a government cabinet anyway??? How did TI become someone’s who’s opinion was politically valuable? They couldn’t find any educated people with government experience???
how else was she gonna get a vote? at this point that’s the only logical explanation i can surmise — and while we’re there
CAN T.I. EVEN VOTE?
TI aint no damn activist no way. Neither is Killer Mike if we are being honest. They are rappers. That is that’s all. Just because you read the whole dictionary in prison don’t make you an activist.
No he cant!
And having an opinion doesn’t make them an activist either.
When it snows in Atlanta it’s national news, the city shuts down. This year, 2014, my husband left work at 3pm and didn’t get home until 7am ( less than 20 miles). The city/schools shut down for days because the city didn’t have a plan. Mitzi was a smooth criminal, she made calls and made promises. Atlanta was desperate. $15 million, and she received $2 million, $1 per contractor. Now she’s a Reverend.
Great point…he’s a felon…
This is a problem for me. Why are they putting rappers and felons on some type of pedestal where they speak for the black community? They don’t see this as a credibility issue? Do they even look at the demographics of blacks that actually vote?
Of course, but I’m sure they stopped at the Mercedes dealership first so they could stunt.
Does Atlanta have the funds to afford an outside Auditor?
Who thought someone named “Killer Mike” belonged on a government cabinet anyway???
———————————————
And we wonder why white folks don’t take us serious.
damn…so true on so many levels….
That Felons can’t vote misconception is why they don’t. it depends on the state, each has it’s own rules with regard to that.
In Georgia. Individuals convicted of a felony are ineligible to vote while incarcerated, on parole, or on probation. Voting rights are automatically restored upon completion of all supervised release.
So yes, he can
what qualifications do TI and Mike hold? she needs to clean house and do what is best for city smh
Yes he can,
Georgia. Individuals convicted of a felony are ineligible to vote while incarcerated, on parole, or on probation. Voting rights are automatically restored upon completion of all supervised release.
Yes he can
Georgia. Individuals convicted of a felony are ineligible to vote while incarcerated, on parole, or on probation. Voting rights are automatically restored upon completion of all supervised release.
They don’t see this as a credibility issue? Do they even look at the demographics of blacks that actually vote?
____________________________________
Atlanta doesn’t want to be great. You got all those educated men and women at those HBCU’s that they could recruit to be activist and government officials, but they putting rappers in the mayor’s cabinet. SMFH.
When KLB took office in January, she gave KR’s people 90 days, that time was up, plus she gave them an extra 2 weeks. They knew.
I think it was solely for the “black vote” to help out…..I mean they are big names in ATL….so what better way to get the votes of the low-income families and so on…..what better representation than T.I. (self-proclaimed “Kang of the South”) and Killer Mike…who just got the read of a lifetime by trying to go after that pastor lady…….so to her, they served their purpose…so now she has to cut ties and move on……thats MY take on it….
In January she told them they had 90 days, she gave them an extra 2 weeks..
Chile shyt show it is.. ???
Well, they have 5.5 million for the snow removal contract…
Ain’t nobody from the A with Good sense checking for Tip … But a broad with Thot logic … That ninja a trip… They appear to be big names because they are apart of the fugg shyt circus on TV… I had the WTF on my face when I heard these two were in the cabinets … ? and then bussed out laughing ..?
Finesser!!!!
When you have to ask your entire cabinet to resign, something’s wrong with you as a mayor, if you’re the one who picked and appointed them. Now this just raises questions about you and your good judgment.
I don’t trust ANY politician period ….
Actually its 2 years after…
she told them they could stay for 90 days …. she did not pick them they were left overs from the last mayor …. she asked for all of the resignations and will pick the ones she wants to leave and stay …at that point she will have picked her cabinet but this one is not hers
She did not pick and appoint most of these folks. They were hired by Reed and she told them they had 90 days up front.
Welp
Okay. I know the laws vary from state to state.
Unless something changed, TI and Killer Mike were never members of the Cabinet. They were members of the Transition Team.
https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2018/01/11/atlanta-mayor-bottoms-includes-rappers-ti-and.html
At present, this is the Mayor’s Cabinet:
https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/mayor-s-office/executive-offices/the-mayor-s-cabinet
They are from the previous administration. She didnt pick and choose or appoint any of them.
I do. get that, (went back and read that part). I do remember she added TI and Killer Mike and a few others, but those were more her transition team than her cabinet per se.
Still, there’s a reason why most incoming mayors dont do it that way. If you have your own vision, you start with your own people that line up with your vision. The city needs new blood and fresh ideas, not holdovers from Kasim’s administration. I’ll admit I just was never impresssed with her from the beginning, but I’ll give her a chance and hope she does well. .
I dont know about felons, but there are people who committed big time crimes in the Senate past and present
Actually, this is pretty standard. The same thing usually happens after a presidential election. All members from the past administration (above a certain pay grade) are asked to hand in their resignations, then the president and the transition team decide which resignations to accept and which ones to reject.
She was done with them after she used their celebrity to help her get elected.
Ok, got that. The team she announced earlier was more of a transition team than an actual cabinet. I stand corrected on that.
Killer Mike is in good right now with the NRA
Who wants a Top Informant (T.I.) on their team anyway? She doesn’t need thugs associated with her. These rappers are misogynistic and hateful! Promote drugs and killings. Just No.
And no damn snow!!!
Ha,ha,ha!!!
Wow! time for the Mayor to resign. I’m sure the voters would like a re-vote.
I worked with offenders so I don’t have anything against people convicted of crimes, but life is so hard for them after, finding a job, housing etc. Privilege and money rules though…
There’s a lot of under-the-surface corruption in the govt here in Atlanta.The fact that she seemed to be hand-picked as Kasim’s replacement just makes me have my doubts that she’ll be able (or willing) to uproot and expose a lot of that stuff, since a lot of that would reflect back on him.
But you wanted the good white woman Mary Norwood?
Ha,ha,ha!!!
I guess she will be running for mayor until she’s in a wheel chair.
BTW can’t they find another white person just to have someone different or is Mary under contract to represent the good white folks of Atlanta/s
I’ve no idea what this is but asking TI and Mike to resign sounds good. Two frauds.
She’ll keep TI and Mike since she appointed them. They probably serve no purpose other than to keep the hip hop community on her side.
Mary Norwood was more than qualified in my mind. If the main reason to vote against her was that “she’s white”, then that’s pretty lame to me.
If that’s the standard we use now, do we just vote in a less qualified person every time simply because he/she looks like us?
I just typed this. ? it happens in corporations too. We’re going through it now.
This stuff sounds like Kwame Kilpatrick and what happened in Detroit. Why is it so difficult for people to learn from others mistakes and do better… or at least do different??? Now, I guess we’ll wait for Reed to get indicted.
Yup, got it. I basically left the original post as is, but a couple of people have clarified that aspect of things. Thx.
T.I. seems sneaky to me. I feel a hidden agenda. Unsure why I feel like this. Killer Mike has been vocal for quite a long time. I give him a pass. But that T.I., I think he is bored and trying to build his resume so he can run for mayoral position in the near future. I dont trust he or the herpes sore on his lips.
You see that sore, too?!?!? I’ve been telling my home-girl since that Why you Wanna video that he got that thing and she swears it’s a shadow!
Don’t worry. The feds will appoint one soon. Seen this all before. It is almost exactly what happened in Detroit.
T.I has knowledge of the streets. Which is more than any Mayor could ever need. He’s articulate and is the new Rev Al Sharpton of his generation. STOP HATING!
Yes! That sore has been there for quite some time…a long, long time.
Joy Reid is a huge hypocrite.
Yeah he stay with that herpes site. He also has feminine tendencies always inserting himself in female drama and shit that don’t involve him
Mike is a graduate of Morehouse
????????
Yep. Usually happens in any large organization when you have a change in chief execs.
Absolutely. All of those documents they subpoenaed during the Bickers probe will be used to build a case against Reed.
Another day in ATL aka “WHACKanda”
Here we go. This will not end well.
You said that LBJ! All the incumbents on the city council need to be voted out too. SW Atlanta still looking like 1971 compared to the rest of the city. Black people keep voting for the same sorry ass corrupt Black people who do absolutely nothing for the communities they’re supposed to be serving.
Some of them ppl prolly shouldnt have been in the cabinet in the first place.
Nah sis, I ain’t resigning fire me. That way I can get my 300.00 per week in unemployment….I got bills
WHAAAATTTTTT? ??????
I don’t believe TI or Killer Mike are part of the Mayor’s Cabinet, they are/were part of the Mayor’s transition team. https://www.atlantaga.gov/H…
I just said the same thing.
Were they used to help bring in the voters to get her elected? Now that the job is done where do they fit in??
snapple fact
AL SHARPTON ?!?! ? u draggin it ???
that weave/wig is eating away at your brain cells.
LOLLOLOLLOLLOL!!!! I know that’s right!!!
Don’t listen to Kcool, he will fall on the sword for a celebrity. Who wants to be a newer version of Al Alley Cat Sharpton?! He’s a fraud, liar and keeps black folks losing.
TI nor Killer Mike is apart of her cabinet. You people need to learn how your government work.
Girl, Yes! He seems like a very untrustworthy person. A slimy sneaky MOFO
Preach!
Good lord there’s a lot to unpack in this post. This is normal!
Generally, the new mayor calls for resignations. Then, accepts the ones that fit the new tenor, and rejects the ones that don’t. I don’t see the big deal. The incoming Mayor,Governor, etc chooses the cabinet that best represents the goals of the administration. Damn, its April! Give her time to right the wrongs of the previous administration. Atlanta’s issues weren’t created in 90 days, consequently will not be resolved in 90 days.
BTW the Rev’s criminal acts were committed under the previous admin. Im not from Atl