CLEVELAND — *EDITOR'S NOTE: The above interview is from the day after Bibb's election as mayor.
On Monday morning, Cleveland Mayor-elect Justin Bibb announced two appointments that will take the responsibilities traditionally held by one person.
Bradford Davy will serve as Bibb's chief strategy officer, while Elise Hara Auvil will be his chief administrative officer. The roles of CSO and CAO are newly developed and will replace the former chief of staff role within the mayor's office.
"Throughout the campaign, we created a vision for Cleveland that came directly from stakeholder input," Bibb said in a statement. "We simply have to reimagine our organizational structure to build our reimagined City. With leaders focused on the long-range vision, and on the immediate needs, we can achieve more."
The brand-new chief strategy officer will be responsible for pushing forward the new mayor's vision and goals throughout all the departments of his administration. Davy will also serve as a senior advisor to Bibb and will provide him with counsel on a variety of highly complex and sensitive issues, including "leading a team that will move forward promises made during the campaign" such as addressing racial equity, lead, the West Side Market, arts and culture, and more.
A graduate of the University of Toledo who received his master's from Cleveland State, Davy most recently served as the Director of Regional Engagement at The Fund for Our Economic Future. Before that, he worked as the International Project Manager for Camcode Global and as a research and policy analyst for the Center for Community Solutions.
In the other new role, the chief administrative officer will be responsible for managing the day-to-day functions of the mayor's office. One of the biggest tasks for the CAO will be developing and managing the office's budget.
Auvil will supervise the mayor's staff, manage cabinet meetings, and provide critical briefings to Bibb. A graduate of Case Western Reserve University's Law School, her resume includes stints as associate counsel for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, general counsel for Eliza Jennings Senior Care Network, and director of Human Resources and Employment Counsel for Cuyahoga County. Most recently, she was the city of Westlake's HR manager.
Both Davy and Auvil will replace Shanon Dumas, who served as Mayor Frank G. Jackson's chief of staff for the entirety of his fourth and final term. They will take their new positions when Bibb is officially sworn into office on Jan. 3, 2022.