Walla at the request of a former client who
called to gauge his interest in taking over as
director of publicworks.
Bealey conceded to needing a map to find
the place the first time around, but its
charms in the years since he arrived have far
outweighed the migraines that helping to
run a city can sometimes elicit.
He now oversees a department with 66 full-
time employees, an operating, capital, debt
service and reserve budget of approximately
$33 million and a responsibility to handle
the planning, programming, construction,
maintenance and operations of the city's
utilities(water, wastewater and storm-
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Alliance International
Magazine
water), solid waste and streets/roads/traffic
signals/street lighting.
It’s a tough job that takes a reliable and
talented team.
“These people that I work with, I’m
fortunate toworkwith them,”Bealey said.
“They work really hard every day. Stuff
happens, for sure, and we don’t like it, but
we do our best to prevent it and then to get
it taken care of when it does happen. It’s just
one of those kinds of thankless jobs until
there’s a problem, and then it’s a complaint.
There really isn’tmuchof an in-between.”
The payoff comes in knowing that in 25
years, when people look around Walla
