ATLANTA — Atlanta’s Commissioner of Human Resources is on leave after an investigation found she abused her authority to get her daughter a job.
An investigation by the city inspector general found that Commissioner Tarlesha Smith’s daughter didn’t have to interview, didn’t meet the minimum requirements for the job, and may have lied on her resume and received an offer letter before a position was even posted.
The investigation found that abuse of power didn’t stop there.
According to the report, the commissioner’s daughter often missed work or showed up late, and when a long-time supervisor tried to fire her, the inspector general said Smith directed an investigation be launched against the supervisor.
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“The idea that a long-standing devoted leadership member of a department could be retaliated against for merely trying to hold an employee to the same standards that she would others, just because she’s a commissioner’s daughter, is a severe problem,” Atlanta Inspector General Shannon Manigault said.
The mayor’s office told Channel 2′s Michael Doudna that Smith has been placed on administrative leave, and additional actions for other employees may be forthcoming.
They are also looking into an update to city policy to prevent conflicts of interest in the future.
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