The Chattanooga City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the confirmation of Brent Goldberg as the city's chief financial officer.
Goldberg, 44, has been serving as the city's interim chief financial officer since taking over in April, when the city's long-time chief financial officer Daisy Madison retired. Goldberg previously served as Mayor Tim Kelly's chief of staff during his transition into office.
In an interview, Goldberg said his goal will be to continue to keep the city financially stable, even as the city faces a different situation.
"We need to be a little more strategic about what we're doing in terms of our annual budget and capital budget," Goldberg said. "When combined with [American Rescue Plan funding], we need to have a strategic focus on how to create different funding combinations that create the best possible scenario for the city."
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Goldberg, who served in the same position under former Mayor Andy Berke, has a salary of just under $160,000, he said.
Goldberg previously served as chief business officer for the Hamilton County Schools district, chief financial officer for the Public Education Foundation and director of accounting at U.S. Xpress.
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"If Chattanooga is to solve our big systemic challenges like affordable housing, homelessness and persistent poverty, we have to be strategic about the way that we think about our city's financial management and tools," Kelly said in a statement. "That's exactly the background and approach that Brent will bring to the CFO role."
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Kelly last week also named as his chief of staff Joda Thongnopnua, a city employee who previously served as the city's chief policy officer. His salary is about $150,000, he told the Times Free Press.
Contact Logan Hullinger at lhullinger@timesfreepress.com or 814-319-5158. Follow him on Twitter @LoganHullinger.