Cleveland’s finance director is leaving City Hall for a new job in the Cavaliers’ front office.
Ahmed Abonamah, who joined Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration in early 2022, will become the chief finance officer for the Cavs.
City Hall announced his departure last Friday without saying why he was leaving. The Cavaliers confirmed the hiring to Signal Cleveland this week.
“The organization evaluated and interviewed multiple individuals from a variety of diverse backgrounds for the role and are confident his experience and leadership will bring a new, additive dimension to our team,” a team spokesperson said in an email.
An attorney with roots in Northeast Ohio, Abonamah worked at the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. before joining the Bibb administration.
He often served as the face of the Bibb administration before Cleveland City Council, particularly when defending the mayor’s budget proposals each February. In the last two years, Moody’s and Fitch have raised the city’s bond rating, thanks in part to healthy reserves enabled by federal stimulus dollars.
“It has been an honor to work alongside such dedicated professionals and to serve the residents of this great city,” Abonamah said in a Friday afternoon news release. “I am proud of what we have accomplished and confident that the city is poised for continued success.”
In the news release, Bibb said he was “saddened” to see Abonamah go.
“Ahmed has truly changed the way we manage the city’s budget and made long lasting improvements in just two years,” the mayor said. “His leadership, expertise, and unwavering commitment to excellence have left an indelible mark on our organization.”
The hiring comes as Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert expands his businesses’ foothold in downtown Cleveland. The NBA franchise is moving its practice facility to the banks of the Cuyahoga River – where Bedrock, the real estate arm of Gilbert’s holdings, plans a major development. The city is proposing a tax-increment finance package to help pay for the $3.5 billion riverfront project.
Abonamah said that he disclosed the job prospect to the city law department before the interview process began this spring. He said he recused himself from working on projects related to Gilbert companies, such as the Bedrock TIF and the deal to bring the minor league Charge to the city-owned Public Auditorium.
At the end of April, he resigned from the board of the Gateway Economic Development Corporation, which approves taxpayer-funded repairs at Progressive Field and the Cavs’ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Cavaliers are making $24 million in Gateway-approved repairs to the arena, a cost that eventually could hit the city and county.
The role of finance director is the latest top job to turn over in Bibb’s two-and-a-half years leading City Hall. In just the last several months, both the safety director and chief technology officer have left their jobs.
After Abonamah leaves City Hall on July 19, assistant finance director Jim Hartley will become interim director. Bibb is naming Bonnie Teeuwen, the city’s chief operating officer, to replace Abonamah on the Gateway board.
