Raquel Gonzalez was named the new Sandy Springs city clerk at a March 3 City Council meeting.
Gonzalez was previously the city clerk of the city of Doraville, where she has held the position since 2018. Gonzalez replaces Coty Thigpen, who resigned in January to assume the role of assistant city manager in Woodstock.
As city clerk, Gonzalez is the official record keeper for the city, charged with recording minutes of City Council meetings and maintaining contracts, ordinances, resolutions and agreements. The city clerk’s office also oversees all open records requests.
Before joining Doraville, Gonzalez served as the executive assistant to the city manager. She also served in coordinator positions in Clayton County Superior Court and the city of Atlanta’s Administrative Office of the Courts.
At the council meeting, City Manager Andrea Surratt announced the promotion of Dave Wells to deputy city manager and Kristin Smith as assistant city manager.
Wells previously served as the city’s director of facilities and as senior project manager for numerous city projects, including the City Springs civic center.
Smith previously served as the assistant to the city manager, focused on research and special project management. Prior to that, she served as a long-range planner for Sandy Springs, focused on the creation of the “Next Ten,” a 10-year vision for the city that informed a new Comprehensive Plan and zoning code.