Atlanta CFO Jim Beard negotiating contract for new job, City Hall departure appears imminent
Another one bites the dust?
Are you good with addition? Do you like spreadsheets? Have experience managing controversial pension programs? If so, then Mayor Kasim Reed might soon need your services as City Hall’s next chief number cruncher.
Jim Beard, who’s served as the city’s chief financial officer since 2011, is reportedly finalizing his contract to become the next city manager of Coral Gables, Fla. Beard hasn’t resigned from his City Hall post just yet, but he’s awaiting the results of a background check and negotiating his salary.
The Miami Herald reports that Beard, who makes an annual salary of $221,000 in his current post, was unanimously approved for the city manager position after being chosen from a pool of more than 100 different candidates. He told the AJC he welcomed a return to metro Miami, where he previously worked as Palm Beach County’s deputy commissioner before heading to Atlanta.
In his three years as CFO, Beard helped grow the city’s cash reserves to more than $130 million and guided the city’s overhauled pension program, which at one point was under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Prior to becoming CFO he oversaw the watershed management department’s finances.
Beard is expected to begin his new gig in October if the Coral Gables City Commission approves his hiring. Although he hasn’t officially departed, Reed wished well him well in a statement and thanked him for his service.
“I am proud of Jim, and I think that his advancement speaks to the quality of people that we have as a part of our organization,” Reed tells CL in a statement. “The Administration has been entirely supportive throughout this process. I understand that he wants to be closer to family. We appreciate all of the contributions he has made toward moving the city in a healthier direction.”
During the past year, City Hall has experienced a large amount of leadership turnover. The mayor has seen his top communications, operations, economic development, workforce development, parks and recreation, and airport officials leave for various reasons. Some of those positions have been filled, but Reed is still looking for a permanent parks commissioner and Invest Atlanta president.