Fresh Loaf

His name’s James Shelby. He previously served as deputy commissioner and acting commissioner. According to the City of Atlanta, Shelby…

… was appointed by Mayor Franklin to provide leadership for the Department of over 200 employees which is comprised of the Bureaus of Buildings, Code Compliance, Housing and Planning. Prior to joining the Department in 2004, Mr. Shelby served as Planning Director for the City of Jackson, Mississippi. Mr. Shelby holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in City and Regional Planning from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Shelby’s got a big job ahead of him. Although former Commissioner Steve Cover has, by nearly all accounts, left the department in good shape for his successor, Shelby’s taking the reins at a time when the city’s still dealing with a foreclosure crisis and its accompanying code-enforcement problems. City Councilmember Mary Norwood recently targeted the bureau of buildings for an audit. That bureau’s arborist office is still reeling from allegations it fired Tom Coffin, its most dedicated of treehuggers, to appease disgruntled developers. (An internal investigation concluded the arborist wasn’t a team player.)

Regardless, welcome to the job, Commissioner Shelby!

(Many apologies for the terrible photo. The city doesn’t give you too many options when it comes to photos of employees.)

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City of Atlanta Planning Commissioner Steve Cover has resigned. According to a department spokeswoman, he submitted his written resignation this morning. He’ll officially leave the department on Oct. 3, after which he’ll join HOK Planning Group.

Deputy Commissioner James Shelby will be acting commissioner.

Cover’s department has been at the center of an unlikely controversy involving the firing of Tom Coffin, a senior field arborist with the city. City Hall’s kept mum as to why the arborist was dropped off the payroll — which in itself isn’t too strange, as commenting could lead to a lawsuit. Nonetheless, that silence has helped fuel speculation that Coffin was edged out to appease the development community.

The arborists’ office is part of the bureau of buildings, which is also part of the planning department. In the wake of Coffin’s ouster, City Councilmember Mary Norwood has called for an audit of the bureau.

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The city’s Department of Planning and Community Development — which oversees the bureaus of buildings, planning, code compliance and housing in Atlanta — was ordered to lay off 38 workers on Thursday per Mayor Shirley Franklin’s suggestions to alleviate the city’s budget shortfall. The department also eliminated 12 vacant positions, a spokesperson says.

It’s still too early to determine how the lay offs and budget crunch will affect projects, the spokesperson says. The Connect Atlanta Plan, the city’s first-ever comprehensive transportation plan, is being designed by consultants, not city employees, and will not be affected.

Still waiting to get back what duties were eliminated and whether it was an across-the-board cut or focused on lower-level employees.

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