Atlanta’s procurement chief has stepped down amid a flurry of critical headlines about the city’s contracting process. The mayor’s office announced last week that Chief Procurement Officer Jaideep Majumdar left to “pursue other opportunities.”
The procurement process has been under fire, particularly over retail and food vendor contracts at Hartsfield-Jackson International airport. Council members have questioned if decisions over who operates shops at the world’s busiest airport are marred by personal politics.
The mayor’s office itself has also come under fire recently for the executive branch’s questionable behavior during bidding processes.
During debate over whether the city was going to approve a new contract with the Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative — the city’s founding jail diversion program — the Dickens administration launched a new request for proposal despite already awarding PAD for the same services.
And a recently released report by the Office of the Inspector General also called out the mayor’s office for giving an “unfair advantage” during the procurement process to the company that helps run the city’s customer service and ATL311 call center.
Just over a month after the report came out, the mayor’s office announced that Majumdar was leaving.
Chandra Houston, who previously served as a deputy city attorney, was appointed by the mayor as Interim Chief Procurement Officer. In her previous role, Houston worked to standardize contracts as well as develop the department’s first Negotiation Playbook for Procurement and other City Contracts.
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Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Atlanta City Council’s Post 3 at-large seat is finally filled, after more than 10 months sitting vacant when a former council member stepped down unexpectedly in March 2024.
Eshé Collins, who bested a crowded field of competitors in a special election for the coveted citywide seat, took part in her first council meeting last week. But colleagues were sure to warn her that the quick two-hour meeting is not the norm.
Collins, a former Atlanta Public Schools board member, received about 50,000 votes on Election Day in November, coming in well behind opponent Nicole Evans-Jones but enough to secure a spot in the runoff.
Turnout plummeted when voters returned to the polls three weeks later without the highly watched presidential contest sharing the ballot. While nearly 200,000 people voted Nov. 5, only about 14,500 Atlantans returned for the runoff.
We caught up with Collins at her first City Council meeting, where she said she’s moving quickly to get started since she will only fill the seat for the remaining year of the unexpired term.
“Things are moving fast,” she said. “I had to get started immediately.”
Collins has also been appointed by Council President Doug Shipman to serve as the chair of the Committee on Council, a key committee that confirms appointments by the mayor, tackles ethics issues and reviews changes being made to city operations.
The committee has a big task ahead of it: reviewing the sweeping and controversial changes being proposed to the Office of the Inspector General by the Dickens administration.
“These are big things that impact not only our the city, but also things our community is watching us closely on,” she said.
Throughout her campaign, Collins boasted about her experience on the school board and emphasized the need for the city and school system to work more collaboratively. At the council meeting on Jan. 6, Collins introduced her first piece of legislation, approving a $175,000 grant for nutritious food access and education.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
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