San Francisco’s first female black city administrator was sworn in at a ceremony at City Hall today.
Naomi Kelly was nominated last month by Mayor Ed Lee, who swore her in to the post after the city’s Board of Supervisors confirmed the appointment by a unanimous vote this afternoon.
Kelly is replacing Amy Brown, who left in January to become city manager in Campbell.
Brown had herself replaced Lee, who served as city administrator before being appointed mayor in January 2011 and then being elected in November to stay in office.
Lee called Kelly’s appointment “historic,” saying “it’s not lost on me” the significance of swearing in the first black woman to the position during February, which is Black History Month.
He said Kelly is “extremely qualified” for the job, having served as deputy city administrator for the past year and as city purchaser and executive director of the city’s Taxicab Commission before that.
Kelly said, “We have plenty of work ahead of us” and said she was “very grateful” for the appointment.
Kelly, a San Francisco native, has two sons with her husband, Harlan Kelly Jr., who is the assistant general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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