This week Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms appointed a pair of individuals to brand new positions in her cabinet.
Terri Lee, formerly the city’s Deputy Commissioner of the City of Atlanta Department of City Planning, is now Atlanta’s first Chief Housing Officer, a cabinet level position that will help develop the city’s affordable housing initiatives and interface with the community to understand their needs in a rapidly changing streetscape.
The Reed administration long made it a point to vocalize its support for affordable housing, particularly along the BeltLine and in nearby neighborhoods such as Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward. However that ‘support’ remained more in word than action as demographics have continued to shift and home-costs continued to rise.
Bottoms too ran on the idea that affordable housing is important for the city going forward, but in a refreshing twist, has already begun putting her plan into action. The new mayor’s $1 billion affordable housing initiative is backed by such high profile names as the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and the Metro Atlanta Chamber, and now the appointment of Lee, who boasts decades of experience in urban housing both in Atlanta and on a national level. She most recently established the city’s $75 million Housing Opportunity Bond initiative.
Said Lee on her appointment, “I am excited to serve the City of Atlanta in this new role and look forward to working with Mayor Bottoms and other key stakeholders to address the growing challenge of housing affordability. Our work will be intentional and purposeful as we collectively move forward towards the vision of a more inclusive and livable city.”
Going a totally different direction, Bottoms also created the role of Chief Content Officer, appointing CBS46 news anchor Keith Whitney as the first to hold the title. The CCO will work in conjunction with the mayor’s communications team to produce and share media content across a variety of platforms that “highlights the City’s efforts to achieve the Mayor’s One Atlanta vision.”
According to the mayor’s office the idea of Chief Content Officer is one that has been gaining traction among major companies, with corporations such as Capital One, Goldman Sachs, and Microsoft incorporating the position in recent years.
“An important tenant in the One Atlanta vision is ‘residents who are equipped for success.’ Key to achieving that goal is ensuring that our residents are knowledgeable of the programs and initiatives that are developed on their behalves every day throughout the City.” said Mayor Bottoms. “The Chief Content Officer will be responsible for delivering real-time updates to our constituents in a manner that is accessible and relatable so that all of Atlanta’s stakeholders can play a more informed and engaged role in building a city that works for everyone.”
In the digital age they say content is king, and clearly the mayor’s office subscribes to that notion.
