STAUNTON — Staunton’s Director of Public Works is apparently no longer in that position. The News Leader was told that Public Works employees were notified on Friday that Jeff Johnston was no longer the department’s director.
The News Leader reached out to City Manager Leslie Beauregard Monday but has not received a response. The Public Works website lists David Irvin, who was utilities superintendent, as the interim director and Johnston’s page on the city website has been deleted.
Johnston became the director Sept. 28, 2020, succeeding Tom Sliwoski, who retired. Before coming to Staunton, Johnston spent 23 years as an officer in the Navy Civil Engineer Corps. He was Director of Public Works for the Army’s 81st Readiness Division at Fort Jackson, South Carolina before coming to Staunton.
A recent Staunton City Council meetings, Johnson has been front and center on discussions ranging from the city’s new centralized recycling center to the new juvenile and domestic relations courts being built at the former Chestnut Hills Shopping Center to Staunton’s new trash collection system. The JDR court has a firm deadline to be ready by the fall of 2025.
Public Works is the city’s largest operational department and oversees the largest budget. It manages trash and recycling, water treatment, city utilities, street maintenance, snow removal, public parking, storm drains, traffic signals and street signs, fleet maintenance, and municipal building maintenance.
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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton’s Director of Public Works no longer in that position