Title
Approval of County Manager's Selection of Juan Rael as Public Works Department Director.
Recommended Action
I move that Council approve the appointment of Juan Rael as Public Works Department Director.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council approve the motion as requested.
Body
Article III, Section 303.2 of the Los Alamos County Charter requires formal Council approval of department head appointments. The County Manager has selected Juan Rael to serve as Public Works Director. This position plays a vital role in County operations as the department encompasses Custodial, Engineering and Project Management, Environmental Services, Traffic and Streets, Airport, Transit, Fleet, and Facilities Maintenance Divisions.
Mr. Rael is currently serving as the Traffic and Streets Division Manager in Los Alamos. He joined the County in 2018 and worked as an Engineering Project Manager for such projects as North Mesa Phase II project and Tsikumu Village improvements. Prior to coming to the County, Mr. Rael held various positions within the New Mexico Department of Transportation including five years as a Construction Liaison Engineer and Supervisor. In that role, he was responsible for the oversight of federal funded projects-basically representing the Federal Highway on state projects. Mr. Rael will bring experience and expertise in requirements for federal and state funded projects that prove invaluable to the County. Mr. Rael's resume is shown in Attachment A.
Mr. Rael received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from New Mexico State University and is a licensed Professional Engineer.
Mr. Rael has a diverse and broad experience working and collaborating with NM DOT, Federal Highway funding, LANL project, private sector civil engineering and municipal government staff and processes. Much of his over 16 years of experience is within New Mexico and Northern New Mexico and he already has established and...
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