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Mayor dismisses public works director, hires replacement

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By DEENA WINTER / Lincoln Journal Star

Thursday, Nov 08, 2007 - 05:56:33 pm CST

When Greg MacLean told his mother-in-law he’d taken a job as Lincoln’s new public works chief, she wasted little time congratulating him and got to the point.

Something’s got to be done about those blasted traffic signals on Normal Boulevard, the diminutive, dark-haired Jo Wolff told him. They’ve never been in sync.

She’s his top critic and he hasn’t even started the job yet, he joked Thursday after being tapped to lead the city’s largest department.

Story Photo
Greg MacLean, the city's new public works director. (LJS File)

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Mayor Chris Beutler announced Thursday his appointment of Greg MacLean as the new director of the city's Public Works and Utilities Department (...

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Greg MacLean

Business background: MacLean opened the Lincoln branch of HDR in 2001 and it has since grown to 18 employees. He previously worked for Olsson Associates and several Texas firms.

Personal background: Born in Blue Springs and earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Family: Wife, Nancy, daughter, Madi, 16, son Jack, 13.

Mayor replaces public works director

In the words of his predecessor, Karl Fredrickson, everybody who uses a steering wheel thinks he’s a traffic engineer.

Mayor Chris Beutler announced his decision to appoint MacLean to replace Fredrickson on Thursday. MacLean is scheduled to start Dec. 17. His appointment must be confirmed by the City Council, although previous appointees have started work long before being confirmed by the council.

Beutler said MacLean will help cut red tape and help businesses “get the job done more quickly and with less cost.”

He said the city needs leaders who have implemented change, engaged the public to find new directions and are “as respected in the boardrooms of the private sector as they are in the corridors of city hall.”

“Greg is an outstanding manager who will establish accountability and ensure that projects are done right and done on time,” Beutler said during a press conference, which was attended by several Chamber of Commerce members.

He said MacLean is an engineer who “understands the nuts and bolts of projects and will provide invaluable insight on how we should build our community infrastructure.”

Beutler did not advertise the position, but instead conducted a private search. He informed Fredrickson of his decision Wednesday afternoon. Fredrickson had already planned a vacation next week, so Thursday was his last day.

MacLean is office manager of the Lincoln office of HDR Engineering, a division of HDR Inc., a worldwide engineering firm based in Omaha.

He was the only employee when the Lincoln office opened 2001, and the branch has since grown to 18 employees. HDR has been the third largest beneficiary of city contracts since 2003, securing about $10 million in city work.

MacLean will take the reins of a department with a more than $200 million budget and 567 full-time employees who either build or direct water, wastewater, streets, storm sewers, snow removal, landfills, recycling and bus services. He will be paid an annual salary of $109,000.

MacLean said he will work to restore trust and cooperation with the private sector and make the department more customer-friendly and efficient.

Chamber President Wendy Birdsall attended the press conference, and said MacLean is an “outstanding choice.” He has long been involved with the chamber, and served on its Transportation and Public Works Steering Committee.

Fredrickson has been director since April 2005, when Mayor Coleen Seng appointed him. One of his goals was to restore public trust in the department, but the department has continued to be dogged by complaints it is too inflexible.

Beutler said Fredrickson did nothing wrong; he was just looking for a director with different skills.

“Karl is a great, great person and a great engineer,” Beutler said.

Since being elected in the spring, Beutler has dismissed an interim fire chief, the Urban Development Department head and three aides.

He said Thursday he’s still putting his team together and is not prepared to say Fredrickson’s dismissal would be the end of personnel changes.

Reach Deena Winter at 473-2642 or dwinter@journalstar.com.


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DR wrote on November 8, 2007 10:47 am:
" Nice work Mr. Mayor. Out with the old and in with the new. If we can just do something about the Lancaster County board things will get even better! "
GQ wrote on November 8, 2007 11:25 am:
" Hmmm... Hiring one of the people who get the majority of contracts to be the person to award the contracts. Looks like the good ole' boy network is sure in place.... "
CS wrote on November 8, 2007 12:18 pm:
" Can the third largest recipient of City Government contracts be in charge of a department within the city? "
Keep going wrote on November 8, 2007 1:16 pm:
" Nice work indeed. Now lets keep going. Do something about the Health Department and the waste there. "
Tim wrote on November 8, 2007 1:34 pm:
" Seems to me one of the main problems with public works has been the liberal contracts they sign with companies like HDR. Public Works doesn't know how to write a contract that will hold the contractor accountable with stiff penalties if they don't meet their deadlines. How is hiring someone from a company that is the 3rd largest beneficiary of city contracts going to help that? "
Cronies wrote on November 8, 2007 1:51 pm:
" Out with the old cronies - in with the new cronies. "
jeff b wrote on November 8, 2007 1:54 pm:
" What an odd move???? Verizon singled out Fredrikson as being a person with "great flexibility" and helpful. This is the first BAD move by Beutler, hoepfully there are no more! "
Boomer wrote on November 8, 2007 2:06 pm:
" I think Greg MacLean will do a fine job as Director of Public Works and Utililties. I've had the opportunity to get to know him through our involvement in the Lincoln Chamber's transportation committee. He always struck me as being very informed about how the city needs to grow. Perhaps more importantly, he puts forward solutions, rather than rehashing old arguements and playing the blame game. Good luck Greg! "
interesting wrote on November 8, 2007 2:46 pm:
" Maybe, he will open up the process enough that the local Engineers do not have to compete for projects and convince the Mayor to do away with the executive order that he signed raising the limits, after Mayor /Seng redused it to make it more competative. "
George wrote on November 8, 2007 4:45 pm:
" Karl must have supported the idea to widen 27th. "
Bill wrote on November 8, 2007 5:27 pm:
" New Fire Chief, Public Works, not how about a new Police Chief? A clean sweep with the big three. Hire someone who will direct the enforcment of LAWS and not just his own personal agenda. "
Great Hire! wrote on November 8, 2007 7:15 pm:
" MacLean is top notch. What a great hire. Those that know Greg and have worked with him in the past on both the city and private side know he's a class act. He'll be a great addition to the City of Lincoln. "
here here wrote on November 8, 2007 7:48 pm:
" Bill's got it right, Cassidy should be the next to go. "
Mark wrote on November 8, 2007 8:49 pm:
" Lincoln is very lucky to have Chief Cassady here. There are dept's all over the country that would love to have him. Now please FIX THEM LIGHTS ASAP Greg, your mom's right, about those, and many, many other lights in this town. "
Conflict of interest wrote on November 8, 2007 9:46 pm:
" If MacLean heads a company who contracts with the city, and is now the director of PW, isn't this a conflict of interest?? Much like the conflict of interest Ray's Lawn Care had with city contracts??? "
Head off conflict of interest in the beginning wrote on November 8, 2007 10:03 pm:
" In terms of conflict of interest with HDR, there is a potentially huge problem here as many have stated. By naming an HDR guy to a department that uses HDR for its contract work very, very frequently, it means that the city has to trigger a better process on awarding public bidding for public works projects. Utilizing smaller agencies would be one place to start. Project plans and bids now should be under massive scrutiny and should be reviewed by another department to prevent cronyism and assure good detail. It also means that public works must have construction plans approved by the planning department, just like every single other building project is subject to. This will allow citizen hearings and public notices, and net a better planned result with less cost.... Otherwise, no matter how qualified the new guy is, there will be problems with his past HDR relationship and likely ongoing relationship with Lincoln's biggest contractor--the same HDR. Good luck to outgoing Karl Frederickson. "
Be Specific wrote on November 8, 2007 10:37 pm:
" Be specific, what laws isn't Casady enforcing? "
Old and Wise wrote on November 9, 2007 12:03 am:
" First bad move? Nope. This is Buetler's second. Slaughtering Aging Services was his first. Lincoln's voters care about older and disabled citizens. We remember and vote in droves. The Mayor and some members of the Council will never hold another elected office. Their heartless treatment of the elderly speaks volumes about who they are. Cozy with HDR, right in theme. "
pw employee wrote on November 9, 2007 12:19 am:
" good luck Karl hold your head high you done a fine job its just the new mayor has to find jobs for his buddies "
Blah blah blah wrote on November 9, 2007 4:41 am:
" The saga continues "
Former NDOR wrote on November 9, 2007 6:38 am:
" I don't understand why Karl is considered to be "the old". He was brought to do what you are all talking about - reform a sluggish and unresponsive department, and, by all accounts, had done a great job. I think removing Karl is a big mistake. "
Randy wrote on November 9, 2007 7:45 am:
" In regards to Mayor Beutler's decision to replace Mr. Fredrickson, he needs a team that he can work with and knows that when he has concern's that the peson that he has placed in an adminstrative position can handle the task at hand. It is not a matter of who worked for HDR, it is a question is Mr. MacLean qualified, and the answer is "YES". Now in regards to Chief Cassady should be next. Yes...There should be a 10 year tenure for all department heads in a city of 100,000 or more. When you have a city this size, department heads have a tendancy to sit back and not look at what is going on around them. Chief Cassady has been what Lincoln needed, but it is time for him to move on. A great replacemnt would be Asst. Chief Pischong. "
Elder wrote on November 9, 2007 7:54 am:
" Now he should do away with the LAAA director. Let's really make a clean sweep Mayor. Get some "qualified" (someone with a degree in the area of their agency) people running things PLEASE. "
Larry wrote on November 9, 2007 8:58 am:
" This mayor is going overboard bending over backwards for the developers and business community. It's going to bite him in the butt in the end. Who'd have thought we voted for this kind of administration??? "
Mrs. Johnson wrote on November 9, 2007 9:02 am:
" If you want to see how things are done under this new mayor, check out how they've worked FOR the developer in rushing a project planned for the flood plain in the North Bottoms. It will make your head spin. It's a new day and not a good one in OUR city hall. You'd think our new mayor was from the party we didn't elect! "
LTR wrote on November 9, 2007 12:06 pm:
" Randy, Peschong has an "e" not an "i". Some Lincoln residents seem unaware of the terrific skills and cutting edge thinking that Chief Cassidy brings. We are deeply indebted, talk of replacement is short-sighted. "
Great Move! wrote on November 9, 2007 1:10 pm:
" I couldn't think of a better person to hire than Greg MacLean. Those who know Greg know he will do a top notch job for the city. For those who are quick to criticize the fact that he worked for HDR should realize it’s no longer his job to bring projects back to his former employer. He may have friends at HDR, but he also has friends at a former employer, Olsson Associates (or City Hall East), who is second on the list of city contracts only to Parsons Brinckerhoff who Olsson's teamed with to design the Antelope Valley Project. It’s nice to see someone with a consultant perspective in a leadership roll as apposed to former NDOR employees. I know under Greg’s leadership he will bring much needed change to Public Works in order to move the city in the right direction. "
PW Replacements wrote on November 9, 2007 2:09 pm:
" I don't know if replacing Karl Fredrickson was a good idea or not, but they should take a close look at some of the stagnant supervisors who provide inadequate supervisory skills within Public Works. Hopefully, they are starting at the top and working their way down!!! "
Scott wrote on November 9, 2007 2:46 pm:
" Public contracts still must go out to bid...Just because MacLean worked for HDR doesn't automatically mean that HDR is going to be getting more bids. Usually people that can stand accused of having conflicts of interest work very diligently to ensure no conflicts are occurring. "
Taxpayer wrote on November 9, 2007 4:08 pm:
" My question is..how does MacLean live in a house that was valued for taxes in 2005 for almost $400,000 get his valuation reduced in 2006 to a little over $190,000??? And then have that valuation hold for 2007. I would rather he be appointed the tax assessor so I could get my house devalued in half...for tax purposes that is. "
Small Business owner wrote on November 9, 2007 5:09 pm:
" Sad to See Karl go! I have had a chance to meet with Karl a few times about the South St construction project. I thought he was very easy to work with and was willing to take the time to listen to my concerns and problems. As much as I hate to see Karl go, sometimes 'management' changes are necessary to facilitate growth. "
lisa wrote on November 9, 2007 5:57 pm:
" i dont know karl but those public work guys on the street are sexy yummmyyyy "
john wrote on November 9, 2007 10:02 pm:
" I have an idea that our mayor might have done a great service to Karl by removing him from the stench that is building in this area. I have watched our mayor's career in public service and am amazed at his change in direction. Did that Greg McClean really get that type of deduction on his valuation of his property? I had better drive to his place and see if someone came in with a chainsaw, removed a good bit and hauled it away. The way property valuations are raising in my community part of this residence must have been hauled here. "
I noticed wrote on November 9, 2007 10:40 pm:
" I noticed that MacLean's mansion was valued at 190,000...guess it all depends on who you know. It appears he already has people working for him within the city/county. "
Westerner living in Lincoln wrote on November 10, 2007 11:36 am:
" I am a Mayor Beutler supporter and I think he has done a great job from the beginging of his administration. When he was campaigning for the job, I had the opportunity to hear him speak at a local forum that I attended and he addressed the issue of Lincoln losing it's competitive edge with jobs. He blamed most of that on unproductive bureacracy. He is sticking to his words here folks and his actions are proving it. Of course it is going to seem that he is buddying up to the businessmen of Lincoln but in order for Lincoln to grow, you need to grow the business community first. Our city's tax base is in shambles because previous administrations reduced it to what it is now. I just don't get why the nay-sayers are so pessimistic when a genuine leader actually does what he promises to do?! Mayor Beutler has made this Democrat very proud to call Lincoln his home! "
Suspicious Zoning wrote on November 10, 2007 12:39 pm:
" Hmm, MacLean had his house was re-zoned in 2006 to ag residential. No wonder it dropped massively in taxable value! I'll have to drive by that place (look it up on InterLinc for the address) and see what kind of crops Fermer Greg is raising out there. Corn? Milo? Soybeans? Wheat? Maybe a cattle or hog operation? Not likely on all accounts. Shade trees is about all you'll see growing on that lot. "

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