CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s finance chief, Ahmed Abonamah, has tendered his resignation, effective July 19.

The city announced the move in a Friday news release but offered no reason for Abonamah’s seemingly abrupt resignation. Cleveland.com has reached out to Abonamah and Bibb’s communications staff for comment.

Jim Hartley, assistant director of finance, will take over as finance chief on an interim basis, the news release said. He has been the assistant finance director since 2007. Prior to that, he served as the state of Ohio’s chief investment officer.

Abonamah was among Bibb’s first hires when he took office in 2022.

Bibb on Friday praised the work Abonamah completed during his two-plus years on the job.

“Ahmed has truly changed the way we manage the city’s budget and made long lasting improvements in just two years. His leadership, expertise, and unwavering commitment to excellence have left an indelible mark on our organization. While I am saddened to see Ahmed go, I am immensely grateful for his dedication and contributions to our city,” Bibb said in the release.

Abonamah, in the release, said the city’s financial position had steadily improved under his watch, “as evidenced by consecutive structurally balanced budgets, the City’s first merit-based credit rating upgrades in decades, and record cash reserve levels.”

Abonamah added: “The foundation we have built is strong and is in good hands going forward.”

As finance chief, Abonamah has been heavily involved in most of Bibb’s priority projects and initiatives since 2022, including the spending of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid, police contract negotiations in 2023 that resulted in the switch to 12-hour shifts, and future plans for Cleveland Browns stadium. Abonamah was also instrumental in the creation of Cleveland’s new downtown tax increment financing overlay district, which aims to stimulate economic development by redirecting future property tax revenue increases within the designated area to fund public infrastructure projects and promote revitalization efforts.

Prior to joining Bibb’s cabinet, Abonamah worked for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington D.C. He spent most of his childhood in Akron, but he considered Cleveland his adopted hometown. When he took on the city job in 2022, he said he had jumped at the chance to return home to Northeast Ohio in order to serve in Bibb’s administration.

Read more: Meet Ahmed Abonamah, Cleveland’s finance chief