The city of Springfield yesterday named three finalists for the director of Public Works position left vacant earlier this year by the death of Phil Broyles.
A selection committee chose Becky Baltz, Jonathan Gano and Dan Smith to interview for the position out of about two dozen applicants. The committee comprises city officials, as well as members representing engineering and contracting companies, according to a news release.
The finalists are subject to a daylong interview that includes meetings with Public Works staff, the city's leadership team and City Manager Greg Burris. The public is invited to meet the candidates 5-6:30 p.m. Oct. 15 in the fourth-floor conference room of the Busch Municipal Building, 840 Boonville Ave. According to a notice from the Springfield Contractors Association informing members of the meeting, the winning candidate will be selected next week.
The finalistsBaltz has served since 2011 as district engineer for the 21-county Southwest District of the Missouri Department of Transportation.
A member of Springfield Business Journal's
2012 class of Most Influential Women, Baltz has worked with MoDOT for about 30 years.
Gano currently is working as co-interim director of Public Works. He was named assistant director of the department in 2010 after working as superintendent of streets and in the street maintenance division, according to the release.
A
2012 40 Under 40 honoree by SBJ, Gano was selected as American Public Works Association's 2010 Young Leader of the Year and is the current president of the Springfield Regional Arts Council Board of Directors.
As highway administrator for Greene County, Smith is responsible for all operations of the Greene County Highway Department, which maintains 1,250 miles of roadway - including 200 bridges - and an annual budget of $25 million, the release said.
Smith started his career in 1993 in MoDOT's Springfield district and worked in the design and traffic engineering departments. He began working for Greene County in 2002, first as project manager and then assistant highway administrator. He was promoted to his current position in 2005.
Shoes to fillFormer Public Works Director Broyles, 65, died from cancer March 29.
He was named director of Public Works in July 2011, after serving the department as co-interim director. With his move to the city post, he brought 30 years of MoDOT experience, according to
Springfield Business Journal archives.
During his tenure, Broyles became known for creating the environmental services department; leading Public Works to American Public Works Association accreditation; and being named a Top 10 Public Works professional of North America by APWA.
At the time of his death, City Manager Burris called Broyle a "champion of transportation, neighborhoods and doing things right."
The Public Works department oversees the maintenance and construction of the city's infrastructure, including 935 lane miles of street; 138 traffic signals; 38,000 traffic and street signs; 100 public buildings - comprising nearly 1.2 million square feet; 70 bridges and waterways; Hazelwood Cemetery; and 800 city vehicles, according to SBJ archives.[[In-content Ad]]
