Renee Glover, the veteran chief executive of the Atlanta Housing Authority, could be gone from that job in less than two weeks.
The agency's board voted unanimously Wednesday to hire lawyers to draft the terms of Glover's departure, which may involve the agency buying out more than three years of her five-year contract. That contract pays a salary of $325,000 per year and took effect in July 2010.
The contract raised the ire of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who had taken office seven months earlier and wanted more say on who ran the agency. On Oct. 3, Glover announced that she would leave in an "orderly transition" once mutually acceptable terms were worked out.
"This could be over very quickly," Cecil Phillips, who is stepping aside as board chairman, said Wednesday. He predicted a deal will be worked out within 14 days.
Glover's departure will mark the end of an era. In the early 1990s, the authority was in financial disarray, oversaw rundown housing projects and was on a list for possible federal takeover.
Under Glover's leadership, the authority demolished numerous projects and became known for the "Atlanta Model" of mixed-income development.
"We've been through a lot," said Phillips, who has been on the authority's board since 1994.
Glover did not speak about her departure during the 90-minute meeting, nor did she make herself available afterward.
Dan Halpern, an authority board member appointed by Reed, suggested the agency hire lawyers to hammer out a separation agreement.
"Let' see if we can move this process along," he said.
In an interview last week with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Reed said he hopes for a wide-ranging search for Glover's successor. The authority has about 250 employees and a budget of about $250 million. The authority still owns 11 highrise buildings and two smaller properties and also coordinators housing vouchers for low-income families. It serves about 50,000 people.
"It would be my wish that they have a national search," Reed said. "Now, whether the board honors that wish, I don't know."
The authority may also face major changes in oversight. On Wednesday, the six-person board voted to require that every new contract or contract up for renewal be brought before it for review if the value is more than $10,000.
"I think this board deserves the courtesy of knowing when we're tying up large sums of money," said Halpern, who is taking over as chairman of the board and has asked for detailed reports from the agency's staff on finances and contracts.
The board also voted to require that no employee of the housing authority be terminated without a vote of the board.
Board member Wayne Jones said that was necessary to ensure no one is "fired, or terminated, or busted down because of vindictiveness" during a transition to new leadership. But Phillips dissented, saying such a measure would be "micro-management."
"If the board wants to get into hiring and firing decisions, it's asking for, frankly, more than it has the resources for," Phillips said.
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