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Richmond council confirms Odie Donald as chief administrative officer; names Sharon Ebert interim CAO
Summary
Richmond City Council voted to confirm Odie D. Donald as the city's chief administrative officer following a national search; the council also unanimously approved Sharon Ebert as interim CAO earlier in the meeting and adopted several consent and land‑use continuances.
The Richmond City Council on Monday approved Mayor’s nominations that reshape the city’s executive leadership and cleared multiple routine items on its agenda.
After a national search conducted with outside partners, the mayor nominated Odie D. Donald as chief administrative officer. The council adopted the resolution consenting to the appointment; the recorded vote showed one abstention and no recorded no votes. Councilmember Gibson abstained; Councilmembers Jones, Robertson, Lynch, Trammell, AbuBakar, Vice President Jordan and President Newbill voted in favor.
Earlier in the meeting the council unanimously approved a resolution consenting to the mayor’s designation of Sharon Ebert as interim chief administrative officer. Councilmembers praised Ebert’s long service in city administration when the motion passed.
Council members and the mayor described the CAO search as extensive. The mayor said Donald emerged from a pool of more than 200 candidates and cited his municipal management experience in Georgia and work on workforce and housing initiatives. Speakers in the chamber and several community leaders who testified in favor of the appointment praised Donald’s experience and public‑sector record.
Council members who expressed concern about the timeline said they wished for more time for public review and one offered to abstain, citing process and transparency concerns. Councilmember Gibson explained her abstention as a vote rooted in process and transparency rather than the nominee’s qualifications.
The council also approved appointments to the Public Art Commission (final approval of interim appointees) by unanimous voice vote, adopted the consent agenda (which included several ordinances listed by the clerk), and approved motions to amend and continue multiple land‑use ordinances to later council dates (including continuances to June 23 and July 28 for specified items).
A clerks’ announcement also listed multiple individual ordinances and resolutions that will be continued or amended at the dates specified on the public docket; those continuances were set by motions approved on the floor.
The CAO resolution included provisions for compensation; the mayor told council the package was negotiated to attract an executive with national experience and that the contract sits at the top of the council‑approved salary range. The precise salary figure was not specified in the public discussion during the meeting and appears in the personnel papers filed with the council.
Provenance: The Sharon Ebert resolution and vote are recorded beginning at the clerk’s introduction of the expedited paper and through the public hearing and vote (see provenance). The Odie Donald nomination and associated public hearing, testimony and recorded vote appear later in the transcript (see provenance).
