Lessons from Mr. Smith's Time in City Hall
Part 1 - Mr. Smith Goes to City Hall Last year, the city saw an exodus of staff in two of its newest divisions, the office of race, equity and inclusion and the office of performance and innovation, now called The Department of Performance Management and Innovation. Both lost all their staff in 2023. One of those who left in 2023 was Brian K. Smith. In 2016 Smith went from being an outsider fighting city hall to becoming the Director of the new city division aimed at innovation and equity, started by then-mayor Besty Hodges. That ended last year, following a controversial city coordinator appointment, a discrimination complaint, and a lawsuit he and others filed against the city. On July 7, 2023, just a few weeks after retiring from his position working in City Hall, I met with Smith and talked with him about his experience there. He didn’t expect to get the job when he was hired by Hodges. “She knew me just like most of the other council members,”...