As President-elect Joe Biden gathers a diverse cabinet of members to be apart of his incoming administration, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has turned down being apart of it.
According to the Daily Mail, the mayor was rumored to be a contender for HUD secretary and the leader of the Small Business Administration. It also circulated last week that she was offered an ambassadorship to the Bahamas.
Bottoms was also looked at as a possible running mate of Biden before it was offered to Kamala Harris.
Forbes reported that Bottoms was vetted for the position over the SBA, but it’s vague if that gap came from Biden. And before Friday, Bottoms was a person of interest to lead the Housing and Urban Development Department, but it was given to Representative Marcia L. Fudge.
“Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was honored to have been offered a role in the Cabinet, which she respectfully declined,” Bottoms’ senior adviser Rashad Taylor stated.
“Out of respect for the process and the other candidates under consideration, no additional comment will be forthcoming on this matter at this time.”
It hasn’t been stated why Bottoms declined the position. But there are several other positions that remain vacant. It’s possible she will work on her re-election in Atlanta at the end of 2021.
As for now, Biden is doing exactly what he proposed to do, form a diverse and unprecedented cabinet.
