The City of White Rock has a new director of engineering and municipal operations.
Greg St. Louis is to step into the role – previously held on a contract basis by Rob Thompson – effective July 30, officials announced Monday.
St. Louis, a professional engineer, comes to the city from Windsor, Ont., where he worked as a senior manager in the operations department of public works. In that role, St. Louis provided strategic direction to approximately 100 staff, managed a variety of large projects and built a cohesive management team for the department.
White Rock city manager Dan Bottrill predicted St. Louis' "extensive engineering management experience will be an asset to our already strong team.”
The position has been the source of some controversy in White Rock, since Mayor Wayne Baldwin – in his pre-election run last fall, and again in April – took issue with Thompson's compensation package. Hired on a two-year contract that expired on June 29, Thompson – who Baldwin noted is not a professional engineer – received $220,365 in remuneration last year, plus $434 in expenses.
Describing Thompson as "grossly overpaid," Baldwin said that his successor would be paid approximately half that amount.
Baldwin had also criticized former city manager Peggy Clark's pay. Clark, who retired on short notice in December, received $185,760 in her final year on the job, plus an additional $5,266 in expenses.
St. Louis, who recently relocated to White Rock from Windsor with his wife and daughter, said he is looking forward "to applying my engineering skills to continue improving this beautiful city."
As director of engineering and municipal operations, St. Louis will provide leadership to all functions within the department, including strategic direction for municipal infrastructure.