The city of Atlanta's Citizen Review Board, created to investigate complaints against the city's law enforcement officers, has hired an executive director to lead the board, its chairwoman said Thursday.

The executive director was offered the position Monday and accepted the job Tuesday, board Chairwoman Sharese Shields said in an e-mail.

The executive director is expected to start work Sept. 1.

"That is good," Atlanta City Councilman C.T. Martin said Thursday evening when told of the news. "I hope they can move forward now and start dealing with some of these cases. It's taken a long time."

The board was born from the illegal shooting of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston in November 2006. It was created in March 2007, and most of the 11 board members —- they are all volunteers —- were appointed in June 2007.

There were 179 applicants for the job of executive director, which Shields previously said will pay about $70,000 annually.

Shields refused to release the name of the executive director Thursday, saying in an e-mail that the woman asked the review board not to reveal her name "until she has notified everyone," including her current board members.

When informed that the Open Records Act requires the board to release details about the hire, the chairwoman said the hiring had not been finalized because it was not in writing.

The Open Records Act states that government agencies are obligated to provide information on new hires when the agency decides who it "intends" to fill the position.

Shields, however, said she would send out a news release next week.

Once the executive director starts work, one of her first tasks will be to hire two investigators and an administrative assistant.