Atlanta CFO Resigns Amid Budget Crisis

By Odette Yousef

Atlanta, GA – Atlanta's Chief Financial Officer, Janice Davis, will resign. In a letter sent to the mayor this morning, Davis says she leave the job on July 9th, to take a position in Texas.

Davis leaves as the city faces turbulent financial times in recent weeks, hundreds of city workers were laid off. City Council is wrangling with the possibility of further cuts and raising taxes to close a $140 million budget gap for fiscal year 2009.

Barbara Payne of the Fulton County Taxpayers Foundation, says Davis wasn't getting the administrative support she needed:

PAYNE 1: Janice could have been doing a much better job if she had the support that she needed, but it certainly seems like the door is closed to Mayor Franklin's office.

In a written statement, Mayor Shirley Franklin says Davis helped move the City's finances to a new level of accountability and performance, and says she wishes Davis weren't leaving.

City Council members say Davis' departure won't affect the current budget debate, since she leaves after the June 30th budget deadline.