Ex-Commissioner Powell Hired by Ott

It may seem like a novelty, and perhaps even a stroke of audacity, but District 2 Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott calls his hiring of a former colleague "a natural fit."

That's what Ott told The Marietta Daily Journal, which reported Tuesday (subscription) that the East Cobb Republican had hired former District 3 Commissioner Thea Powell as his full-time assistant.

Powell, a Republican who served the Northeast Cobb district now represented by JoAnn Birrell from 1997-2001 and on an interim basis in 2010, succeeds Renee Nichols, a 20-year commission assistant who retired. 

The newspaper noted Powell will have to step down as a member of the Development Authority of Cobb County, a post to which she was appointed by Ott.

Ott and Powell didn't serve long together -- she was appointed to fill the District 3 seat only for a few months when Tim Lee vacated it to run for Cobb Commission Chairman -- but they struck up a close alliance.

Ott, who is just starting his second term and who has tangled at times with Lee, who tried appointing Powell to a Citizens Oversight Panel in 2011. But that move was rejected in a 3-2 vote by the commission, drawing opposition from Lee, Birrell and Helen Goreham.

Ott lashed out at his colleagues, calling the vote "an embarrassment" to him and Powell.

All he would say about hiring Powell now, according to the MDJ, is that he wanted "someone that could come in and hit the ground running . . . and has a knowledge of what the job entails."

He reiterated those thoughts when asked to comment further by Patch: "Renee had so much knowledge and experience I really needed to make sure I brought someone in who had a lot of prior experience."

Patch also asked Ott if Powell's hiring might present some political tensions. "Any personal differences the chairman may have really shouldn’t factor into my decision on who I want to work with me," Ott replied. "I believe if there are tensions they will be created external to my office."

The MDJ reported that Nichols received a salary of around $60,000 but that Ott hadn't decided what to pay Powell.

Powell also serves as secretary of the Cobb Board of Education's Facilities and Technology Committee, which conducts oversight of the Cobb County School District's SPLOST projects. She was appointed by Post 4 board member Kathleen Angelucci, who represents the Kell and Sprayberry high school districts of Northeast Cobb.