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Redwood City selected two longtime Public Works employees for leadership Monday after what the city called a “competitive national recruitment.” The appointments will take effect on Aug. 10.
Adrian Lee, who has served the city as the interim director since May, will be entering the chat as the new public works services director. He has held other roles in the department for 13 years, working as the assistant director and chief sustainability and resilience officer, as well as a management analyst and superintendent for the Right-of-Way division.
Justin Chapel, who’s been promoted to assistant public works director and chief sustainability and resiliency officer after serving as the interim director, offers nearly three decades of municipal public works experience — 17 of which have been with Redwood City. In this new role, he will guide departmental operations while pressing ahead with the city’s sustainability and resiliency priorities.
In a statement, Redwood City Manager Patrick Heisinger said: “Adrian and Justin (are) accomplished public works professionals who have demonstrated strong leadership, sound judgment and a deep commitment to serving the Redwood City community.”
“Their extensive operational knowledge, collaborative approach and focus on excellent customer service will position the department well,” he added.
Lee’s annual salary as public works services director will be $255,000, while Chapel will earn $228,000. Terence Kyaw, who retired as the public works director in May after 34 years in Redwood City, earned an annual salary of $283,094.
As director, Lee will oversee the department’s water operations, including wastewater and recycled water, as well as rights-of-way, meaning some public transportation infrastructure, utilities and access points. He will also oversee fleet, facilities and custodial services.
Since May, Chapel served as the Interim assistant public works director and previously dedicated over a dozen years as a superintendent at the department, overseeing the city’s water and utility operations.
Lee will be replacing Kyaw, who notified the city of his plans to retire in November 2025 and left his seat on May 1. He said he was leaving the department in a stable moment, with no major pending projects and no need to “fight fires” metaphorically.
Heisinger decided to hold off on staffing a new public works director right away, Kyaw said, in order to study the structure of the department and find a perfect fit before committing the role to someone new. While the city has budgeted for the position, Kyaw said that the staffing delay would save the city some money, though not much, “big picture.”
