South Fulton’s City Manager Odie Donald II has been named one of three finalists for the same position in Savannah, Ga. Mayor Van Johnson made the announcement earlier this week.
“The city council and I have selected three highly-qualified candidates as the finalists to be Savannah’s next city manager,” said Mayor Van Johnson. “This is the most important decision we will make for the future of our city, and I am excited to welcome the finalists to Savannah in the coming weeks. We look forward to hiring someone Savannahians can be proud of for years to come.”
110 applicants competed for the position. Council members virtually interviewed six applicants in closed session in early August before selecting the finalists.
Donald faces Caluha Barnes, deputy city manager of Modesto, Calif. and John Pombler, assistant city manager of Mesa, Ariz. as the process nears its conclusion.
Odie Donald, II, has served as city manager of South Fulton since March 2018. In the role, he’s at the helm of 11 departments, 600 employees, a proposed $69 million operating budget and a proposed $40 million capital budget.
Donald previously served as the director of the Department of Employment Services for the District of Columbia and as executive director of the DC Workforce Investment Council. He also worked for the Georgia Department of Economic Development as the Workforce Services director and served as executive director of Coastal Workforce Services in Savannah from July 2013 to March 2015. He received his Master of Business Administration and his bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University.
Donald and the other finalists will be in Savannah on Sept. 18 and 19 to participate in interview sessions with community panels.
Photo: City Manager Odie Donald II addresses a crowd gathered for the reopening of Fire Station No. 1.