Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is launching a national search to hire three new department leaders as he continues shaping his leadership team one month into his term.
Out are Chief Procurement Officer Martin Clarke; Parks and Recreation Commissioner John Dargle Jr.; and Human Resources Commissioner Jeffrey Brenton Norman. A mayor’s office spokesman said the city will conduct a national search for the replacements.
“Consistent with previous administrations, the Mayor has met with department leaders to evaluate the needs and priorities of this administration,” a mayor’s spokesman said in a recent statement, adding that Dickens thanked the three outgoing officials for their service.
The three men have only been in their current positions at City Hall for a few years.
Clarke joined Atlanta as a senior assistant city attorney in 2005 before he became chief procurement officer in May 2020. Norman was hired as an associate city attorney in 1999, and he worked his way up to become the HR commissioner in June 2019. The city hired Dargle for his role in October 2018.
The three will likely continue working for the city throughout the search process, which is expected to begin in the next few weeks.
News of the shakeup comes just hours after the city announced that Planning Commissioner Tim Keane is leaving on Feb. 18 and taking a similar job with a different city. Deputy Planning Commissioner Janide Sidifall will serve as interim commissioner after Keane leaves.
It is unclear if the Dickens administration will conduct a national search for Keane’s replacement.
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