City of Atlanta attorney Cathy Hampton will step down from her post as the city’s top legal officer on May 19, the city said Tuesday.
Hampton, who has had the role for the the past six years, helped spearhead the city’s pension reform, negotiate the 20-year airport lease agreement with Delta Air Lines and most recently iron out the sale of Underground Atlanta to a South Carolina-based developer, the city said.
“Over the past six years, Cathy has been an essential member of my team, and under her leadership, the City Law Department has consistently delivered outstanding results for the people of Atlanta,” Mayor Kasim Reed said in a statement. “I am grateful for her work, and wish her the best in the next chapter of her career.”
As city attorney, Hampton’s job included overseeing a more than 80-member law department and all the city’s civil legal matters, including those related to the Department of Watershed Management and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
“It has been a privilege and a blessing to serve the Reed administration, the Atlanta City Council and the people of Atlanta,” Hampton said. “I especially thank the talented, dedicated professionals in the Law Department for their hard work and dedication.”
Hampton is stepping down as Reed completes the last year of his two terms in office. Her departure also comes as the city is being investigated in an alleged “pay-to-play” contracting bribery scandal.
Reed will announce Hampton’s successor in the next seven days, the city said.
