Mayor Bill Haslam announced today that Senior Director of Finance and Accountability Chris Kinney will leave his position at the end of September to return to the private sector.

 "Chris has been a valuable member of my team since the day I took office, " said Mayor Haslam. "His financial abilities and his intellect helped to turn the finances of this city around, leaving us with an operating budget and a balance sheet that are in excellent shape as we move forward."

Kinney joined the City when Mayor Haslam took office in December 2003. He's contributed significantly to some of the Mayor's major initiatives including refinancing the City's debt at a lower cost, the implementation of performance measures and performance pay, and the funding of major capital projects including the replacement of the City's old mainframe financial and accounting system, the Second Creek greenway and the completion of the Market Square redevelopment project.

Kinney has agreed to continue to work with Mayor Haslam on the downtown movie theater and has also agreed to continue serving on the Boards of the new Bijou Theatre and The Knoxville Zoo on behalf of the Mayor. "Working for Mayor Haslam has been a great opportunity for me," said Kinney. "It's been an honor to serve the citizens of Knoxville and I'm proud of the progress we've made."

Kinney said he's pursuing several opportunities at this time, including starting his own business. He added that he committed to work for the Mayor for two years and will have completed almost three years when he leaves.Prior to joining Mayor Haslam's administration, Kinney served as an investment banker with Barclays Capital in New York and with JPMorgan Chase in New York and Atlanta.Kinney's last day at the city of Knoxville will be September 29, 2006.