ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The City of St. Petersburg is currently working to hire another Chief Equity Officer after a recent hire to the role quit just weeks into the job.
According to the city, the person in that role is a member of the mayor's cabinet who works to "advance racial equity and inclusion" within city government.
The city announced this new position back in May, and earlier this month, they hired a woman named Lenice Emanuel to take it on.
But after just weeks on the job, last Wednesday, Emanuel sent a letter of resignation to the mayor.
It said:
"I am writing to resign, effective immediately. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as the City’s inaugural Chief Equity Officer. Wis[h]ing you and your team the very best in your future endeavors."
It's a position that was put front and center after allegations of discrimination were raised against the city's fire chief back in August.
At the time, we spoke to the president of the St. Pete Branch of the NAACP, Esther Matthews, who told us she was eager to see the mayor fill that position.
"As we know, departments focus on what they focus on, but the need and this has been a great need, for a very long time for someone solely focused on diversity, equity, and inclusivity within city administration has been a long time coming and I'm glad to see it's finally in place and a reality," she said.
It is important to note following a review by the mayor's office that found "no formal substantiated complaints" against the chief, he was reinstated.
At this point, there is no word on why Emanuel quit. We have reached out to her for comment, but we're still waiting to hear back. In the meantime, a city spokesperson tells me they're working to fill that position.
