Atlanta’s head of human resources was fired for abusing her power as a City Hall employee by “encouraging preferential treatment” of her daughter, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The Office of Inspector General released a report in May alleging that Tarlesha Smith created a position within the Office of the City Solicitor for her daughter, Bridget Smith. The report finds Smith retaliated against a supervisor who recommended her daughter’s termination.
Atlanta’s City Hall has a history of corruption scandals. Mayor Andre Dickens, who appointed Smith and is presumably running for reelection in 2025, has overseen a mostly clean administration.
The report says that Smith created a compliance analyst position with a nearly $52,000 salary and expedited her daughter’s hiring process even though she lacked qualifications for the job, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Once hired, the daughter misunderstood the training manual’s directions about on-site work, and when a supervisor denied her request to telework after completing training, the daughter became “disengaged” and “exhibited tardiness and absenteeism,” the report said.
