Atlanta mayor asks for resignations of entire cabinet, including Hartsfield-Jackson leader

The goal of a revamp of retail space at Hartsfield-Jackson is “to bring more Atlanta into the airport,” general manager Roosevelt Council said. HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM

Hartsfield-Jackson general manager Roosevelt Council is among those who complied when the mayor of Atlanta asked for the resignations of her entire cabinet Monday.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in a statement said she asked for the resignations, “and after further assessment will determine which resignations I will accept.”

Council was named interim general manager of the world's busiest airport in mid-2016 after then-Mayor Kasim Reed fired airport head Miguel Southwell. Council, who has a background in finance and was previously the airport's chief financial officer, was named by Reed to the permanent general manager position in late 2016. For decades, general managers of Hartsfield-Jackson have become known in the aviation industry globally because of the role the airport plays.

Portrait of Roosevelt Council, general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM

Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi

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Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi

Bottoms had asked for resignations of her cabinet members by the end of the day Monday. The move comes after another federal indictment last week in a corruption probe into Atlanta City Hall.

The mayor had already launched a search for a new airport manager and several other key cabinet positions shortly after she took office in January.

“As a member of the Mayor’s cabinet, Mr. Council complied with the Mayor’s request for cabinet members to submit their resignations,” according to an e-mailed statement from Hartsfield-Jackson spokeswoman Elise Durham on Monday.

Bottoms said in her statement that she has taken the first 100 days after taking office “to evaluate the leadership of my Administration.”

“There are many talented leaders within the City, and I look forward to continuing to work towards creating the team that best reflects alignment with the goals and opportunities we look to pursue over the next four years,” she said in the statement.