Nonprofit policy leader enters race for Atlanta City Council president

A longtime Atlanta nonprofit leader and self-proclaimed “policy nerd” has entered the race for Atlanta City Council president.

Rohit Malhotra, founder and executive director of the Civic Center for Innovation, earlier this month launched his campaign, which, he says, will center on bolstering support for working-class families and small businesses.

Malhotra is a familiar face at City Hall, speaking out on issues like the city’s handling of its controversial public safety training center, response to the COVID-19 pandemic and city spending. The Civic Center for Innovation is considered a progressive policy nonprofit that frequently challenges elected officials’ decision making.

“I genuinely believe public policy is moral work,” Malhotra told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I haven’t been in politics, but I’ve been in public service my whole life.”

Malhotra said another key issue will be supporting equitable development across neighborhoods as Atlanta’s population continues to boom.

Current Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman surprised even some of his colleagues in February when he announced he wouldn’t seek reelection because of health issues in his family. After being winning the role without previously holding elected office, Shipman widely is praised for his leadership during contentious council meetings.

His unexpected announcement created an open field for the president role that — despite having only tiebreak voting power — oversees how council meetings are run and works closely with the mayor’s office.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is still without a serious challenger in his reelection bid, but has a unique opportunity to cultivate a new ally in whoever takes over as president.

Credit: Bob Andres/AJC

Credit: Bob Andres/AJC

The coveted leadership position is also being sought by District 11 Council member Marci Collier Overstreet, who has represented portions of southwest Atlanta for eight years.

Overstreet said she plans to center her bid around public safety, transportation and economic mobility. She supported the public safety training center.

“This is an important time in Atlanta history, and we need strong, experienced leadership that brings people together to meet the needs of the people,” she said.

Both candidates will likely face tough questioning around heated Atlanta debates like the future of transit along the Beltline and whether or not they support the unfinished referendum against the already built public safety training center.

Credit: Jason Getz/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Atlanta employees rack up paid leave

The city of Atlanta spent more than $1 million last year on paid administrative leave for more than 150 employees who continued to accrue vacation time, bank sick leave and receive holiday pay.

That figure doesn’t include continued benefits, according to a recently released audit that was prompted by a complaint filed with the city’s Office of the Inspector General.

The report found that over a 10-year period, nearly 1,300 employees continued to receive a paycheck while taking a leave of absence for reasons that didn’t always align with city requirements to take paid leave.

City code states employees are allowed to be placed on paid leave only if there is an active investigation.

“We found employees on ‘administrative leave’ for workplace injuries, family leave, for a fitness-for-duty assessment, and for time to seek alternative employment because of a position being eliminated,” the audit states.

Although most paid leave instances lasted only a couple of weeks or a month, eight employees within the past decade were placed on leave for more than two calendar years.

“Using administrative leave for purposes other than paid leave pending an investigation results in a loss of employee productivity, increases financial liability for the city, and puts the city at risk when employees are treated inconsistently,” the city auditor’s office wrote.

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