Petaluma taps new director of $73M Public Works and Utilities Department

Christopher J. Bolt is taking the reins of one of the city’s largest departments next month, filling a vacancy left after Jason Beatty stepped down early June.|

The city of Petaluma has wrapped up its months-long search for a new director of public works and utilities, announcing this week that Christopher J. Bolt will assume the role mid-September.

Bolt, a native Iowan with more than eight years of experience leading public works departments in Wisconsin and Michigan, will step into the role as the city embarks on a $25 million street improvement program and amid ongoing drought and wildfire threats.

The appointment comes a little less than three months after former director Jason Beatty stepped down after about 16 months on the job, citing a desire to spend additional time with his family. City Engineer and Petaluma native Gina Benedetti-Petnic served as interim director during the search for Beatty’s replacement.

Bolt has spent more than 30 years in civil engineering, public works, utilities, and infrastructure management. He served as Jackson County, Michigan’s assistant county administrator and as managing director of its department of transportation since 2014.

“I truly enjoy leading employees and serving communities,” Bolt said in a Monday news release. “I believe that public works and utilities have a direct, palpable impact on a community’s overall quality of life each and every day.”

One of the city’s largest departments, the department of public works and utilities oversees the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility, the marina and city airport along with Petaluma’s streets, public transit and water. In recent years, the department’s leadership have also played a critical role in the city’s emergency operations center, a citywide task force that responds to a variety of crises, such as the coronavirus pandemic and, increasingly, managing the city’s response to wildfires and throngs of evacuees from across the county.

Beatty was first hired by the city in 2016 as senior civil engineer, a position he held for two years before ascending to assistant director of public works and utilities in 2018. Following prior director Dan St. John’s 2019 retirement, Beatty took over as interim director before stepping into the role permanently February 2020.

Prior to Beatty’s promotion to lead the department, director Dan St. John’s held the position for eight years. Bolt will be the the third director of the department over the last three years.

“We are thrilled to bring someone with Christopher’s wealth of experience and passion for the environment onto our team,” City Manager Peggy Flynn said in a news release. “Our Public Works & Utilities department is a huge part of what keeps Petaluma working – leading it requires vision, creativity, and a lot of expertise.”

Contact Kathryn Palmer at kathryn.palmer@arguscourier.com, on Twitter @KathrynPlmr.

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