Gainesville Finance Director Sue Wang submits resignation, effective Dec. 1

Gainesville Finance Director Sue Wang

Press release from City of Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The City of Gainesville will lose its Director of Financial Services following a 16-month tenure marked by a continuing effort to strengthen the City’s accounting controls and procedures.

City Manager Cynthia W. Curry hired Sue Wang in June 2022 to serve as Controller for General Government but, due to staffing changes, Wang soon moved into the director position. In the months that followed, she guided the Department of Financial Services as the City responded to multiple audit findings related to problems and delays with routine financial reporting going as far back as fiscal year 2018.

Under Wang’s leadership, the Department of Financial Services resolved a substantial number of outstanding issues related to bank reconciliations, government accounting practices, and financial reporting. In successfully completing the City’s Fiscal Year 2021 and Fiscal Year 2022 external audits, Wang’s team corrected four of six findings and laid the groundwork to resolve the remaining two. Those are expected to drop off upon completion of the audit for Fiscal Year 2023.

Wang also worked with her team to strengthen accounting controls and internal procedures that are intended to help prevent reporting missteps moving forward. She has added new staff to the department, filling key roles by hiring candidates with sufficient governmental accounting experience to focus on the core but critical functions of financial operations.

“We are in a far different position now than we were two years ago,” said City Manager Curry upon announcing today’s resignation. “Director Wang propelled us forward, bringing to the City many improvements in a very short period of time. She has left us in a good position, with a clear path forward and strong and reliable staff in place.”

In submitting her resignation, Wang thanked the City of Gainesville for the opportunity to serve. She has begun preparing her staff for the transition while City Manager Curry develops an interim plan in preparation for recruiting for a new Director of Financial Services.

Wang will be leaving her position at the end of the month; her last day will be December 1.

  • Like rats fleeing a sinking ship…
    Wonder what golden parachute she got out of the deal.

  • If we can’t keep an Asian number cruncher here two years, this city is doomed. I bet they hire a R House grad replacement next. 👹🤡🍦🍦🍦D

  • I doubt she wants to go back to Tallahassee for another round with the JLAC Committee. It was obvious she didn’t know what end was up and was unable to answer even simple questions.

  • Curry is right. A far different position than 2 years ago. The GRU transfer kickback has been cut by over 50% and may go lower as audits and investigations peel back the Onion. COG has been exposed for taking transfers in excess of GRU profits. I heard 68 Million. And of course that pesky little $3 million dollar bond issue that will sink Harvey and Company. Did I leave anything out? Please chime in.

    • Worked for her. Amazing person who walked into pre-existing problems and did so much good. You are clueless.

      • Can’t help but wonder if you were a hire of hers or were with the Accounting Department prior?
        Might shed a little light on the fiscal issues the city has been denying for years.

  • Can’t believe the comments on here about Sue. I worked for her. She was truly amazing and did so much good. First off she walked into the city’s pre-existing problems and had nothing to do with them. In fact she resolved as many of them as someone possibly could in her time there. She didnt take anything in fact she probably didn’t get paid enough for what she walked into. The people making these nasty comments about her probably don’t even have a job. Wish her well in her future endeavors. She deserves the best.

    • I have no doubt she did her very best resolving existing issues. I am curious if the environment in which she worked in was a factor in her resignation.

    • You are right. The systematically dysfunctional city commission is going to continue to find it difficult to compete in the market for competent professional staff for a long time. Too much drama for the money.

  • Where is she going?? Seems odd she just resigned with no other job, personal reasons, relocation??? Hmmmm. She survived two years of hell in that Godforsaken cesspool. And things steadily get worse. Thankfully, the State of Florida has interceded and prayerfully they will not stop intervening. Hopefully, many more trips go Tallahassee for more “splaining to do”. Will throw a party when Curry gets fired or magically needs to retire. Hats off to Sue for putting up with that insufferable clown along with Cintya Ramos. That’s a double whammy of crap bosses.

  • Curry: “Director Wang propelled us forward, bringing to the City many improvements in a very short period of time. She has left us in a good position, with a clear path forward and strong and reliable staff in place.”

    (Cue audience laughter)

    Bankman-Fried may be available in a few years.

  • Ms Wang has amazing accomplishments in a short time. Sorry to see her go, and wish her happiness.

  • Would the possibility of the state coming in and looking at books makes you wonder what she is worried about
    it will be very interesting if they were to come in to see what they uncover and how far back it goes

    • Exactly!
      Whatcha wanna bet she knows too much, sees writing on the wall & doesn’t want any part of whatever’s coming?

    • Actually before gru.
      It was Gainesville utility services.
      Before the Civil war 1861. And honest Abe Lincoln.
      Greed is horrible.
      It is an election year.
      Our governor the retired lawyer wanted to make examples of Florida to shoe the rest of USA.
      Happy trails 👣 to you until …

  • Maybe she resigned because of high integrity. Maybe she was being pressured by her supervisors to do things that are not in accordance with GAAP: Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (or worse).

  • Yep….she’s getting out before the forensic accountants start peeling back the layers of corruption and mismanagement.

  • Hmmm…. if she is so great and doing such a good Job, why not encourgage her to stay, why is she leaving. Something does not seem Kosher here?

  • I see a bunch of comments vilifying her when she was only a hired puppet for Curry. There are a lot of people to blame, but she is not one of them. She has only been here 16 months. You need to go back one finance director further to see where the financial incompetency’s mushroomed to Cyntia Ramos (who still has an executive position in the City Manager’s Office). Wang likely bit off more than she could or wanted to chew by taking this job. She worked for 16 months in a severely toxic work environment. I don’t blame her one bit for turning in her resignation. How many directors is this that have resigned under Curry now, 9?

  • Sad state of affairs it is. When the stench of corruption is so bad that even this young lady decided to cut & run rather that get caught up in the poop storm that is headed to city hall.
    The rest are nose blind.

  • Beware of ..,patterns of
    Leaving people with more questions than answers is results.
    Madoff n enron liars n thieves.
    Books of finance are just that.
    You either been taught honest:
    Taught dishonest….
    Quality of life is your determination.
    Gainesville the “college” town? And so much more…..

    Goodluck where ever the force moves you 🖖live long.

    Cause it’s a new day. Books are created,or removed to serve who…..

  • When in the midst of corruption, the corrupt remain silent while the honorable serve their charters and report as their duties, and citizenship, require.

    Absent of that, resignation is another way of remaining silent.

  • Good news for our black community. They will have another position to fill. What are the odds?

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