For local governments, hiring a chief financial officer is always important. As the person tasked with managing the budget on a daily basis, the work he or she does affects almost every aspect of city operations.
For the city of Columbus, whose finances have been under a cloud of confusion for almost four years now, hiring a qualified CFO is more important than ever.
So it was with a palpable sense of both relief and anticipation that the city council hired James Brigham as its CFO by unanimous vote during a special call council meeting Wednesday.
“This is a major accomplishment,” said Ward 2 councilman and vice mayor Joseph Mickens.
“When you wait and be faithful, God will answer your prayers and send you what you need,” said Ward 1 councilman Ethel Stewart.
“He was amazing,” said Ward 6 councilman Jacqueline DiCicco.
Brigham comes to the job equipped with an impressive skill set, one that seems perfectly suited for the city’s current circumstances. He is a certified public accountant, a certified internal auditor and a certified fraud examiner, and is certified in financial forensics.
His certification in forensics certainly resonated with council, which had rejected repeated requests from Mayor Keith Gaskin to hire a firm to conduct a forensic audit in the wake of the Milton Rawle debacle of 2018 and state auditor Shad White’s suggestion that a forensic audit could help the city identify missing funds.
Brigham’s arrival — he hopes to be on the job in mid-April — may not have come too late, but it certainly didn’t come too soon: nine months into Gaskin’s administration, six months after Delia Vaughn stepped down as CFO and three months before the city adopts its 2023 budget.
The city of Columbus’ bookkeeping method is complex, consisting of many, many accounts that require constant shuffling of funds. Many of those accounts have not been properly maintained over the past several years. Many financial debacles have been reported extensively by this paper, and we have urged the council to show restraint when taking on new expenditures until the finances are straightened out.
Brigham is aware of the challenges that await him and embraces them.
He’ll have about 90 days to figure out city finances and prepare for the budget process. No doubt, he’ll have a big role in the city’s ongoing plans for its $5.2 million in ARPA funds as well.
Brigham will have an awful lot on his plate.
The council would be wise to hold off on any temptation to spend money on any unbudgeted items for the rest of the fiscal year as Brigham puts city finances in order.
Much work remains to be done, but we share the council’s optimism over Brigham’s arrival.
Wednesday was an important moment for the city.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 51 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
