Ray Leftwich named interim public works director

Ray Leftwich, a construction manager and supervising engineer with Coastland Civil Engineering, has been selected to temporarily serve as Vacaville’s public works director, per a city news release.

Leftwich will be taking over for Girum Awoke, who has left Vacaville for another agency, although the release did not specify which. Awoke was hired in Oct. 2020.

Leftwich is currently employed in the Auburn office of Coastland, a Santa Rosa-based engineering firm with offices four offices throughout Northern California. According to the release, he comes to the city with more than 26 years of experience in the engineering sector, which also includes a four-year stint as an associate civil engineer with the city of Vallejo. Before joining Coastland, he created the Engineering Department for the city of Lincoln to facilitate and execute the city’s Capital Improvement Program.

He spent his final two years in Lincoln as the public works director and city engineer, where his responsibilities included “construction management and inspection for all infrastructure construction within the City of Lincoln, traffic engineering, flood plain management, final review and approval of all private development infrastructure design, and permit approval and oversight of all encroachment and transportation permits,” per the release.

“I believe Ray will be a great asset to help keep the ball rolling on all the important projects currently underway in Public Works,” City Manager Aaron Busch said in a statement. “He will help us to continue to provide superior service to the community until we can hire a permanent director for Public Works.”

Leftwich will only work in City Hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays until a permanent director is found.