Oluwole ‘O.J.’ McFoy joined the Houston Public Works (HPW) management crew as its new metropolis engineer and advisor to Director Randy Macchi.
He now oversees all engineering choices throughout the metropolis.
“Houston Public Works performed a nationwide seek for an engineer who would result in monumental change whereas aligning with the mayor’s imaginative and prescient. O.J. accepted that problem, and we’re excited to get to work,” Macchi stated, who was lately appointed director of the Houston Public Works, a division chargeable for streets and drainage, manufacturing and distribution of water, assortment and remedy of wastewate and allowing and regulation of private and non-private development protecting a 671-square-mile service space.
For this function, McFoy will obtain an annual wage of $280,000, a big leap from his wage of $120,000 in his former job on the Buffalo Sewer Authority in New York.
McFoy said he goals to convey accountability to his new function in Houston, working alongside Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Macchi and 4,000 different workers. The upcoming mission requiring this collaboration is the FIFA World Cup in 2026, throughout which NRG Stadium will host seven video games.
“Randy and I converse each day simply to be sure that we’re each entering into the correct path and that we perceive what’s happening and he makes positive to have that dialog with the mayor,” McFoy stated.
McFoy brings 25 years of expertise to town after serving as the overall supervisor on the Buffalo Sewer Authority since 2015. Earlier than that function, he was the group’s chief working officer, chief monetary officer and chief engineer.
In these positions, he negotiated a $400 million plan to eradicate sewer overflows. He additionally served because the President of the U.S. Water Alliance and chairman of the Buffalo Water Board, a place he has held for 17 years.
“I convey a wealth of data, however primarily, I come to town of Houston with that background and likewise a nationwide understanding of how issues work in infrastructure, water, roads, bridges, transportation,” McFoy instructed the Defender. “I need to be sure that I’m the director’s proper hand as we’re working in direction of constructing, constructing and constructing in Houston,” he stated.
McFoy graduated from Clarkson College with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.
Priorities
Whitmire launched McFoy throughout a metropolis council assembly and stated one in every of his administration’s main priorities is infrastructure tasks.
“With the mixture of Randy Macchi’s management and O.J.’s expertise as a revered engineer, we’re shifting ahead on essential transformational tasks to reinforce the standard of life for all Houstonians,” Whitmire stated.
As town engineer, McFoy will make all engineering-related choices on development actions, overseeing engineering allowing and capital spending of practically $1 billion a 12 months on development, sewage and water traces.
He added that within the final 4 weeks, Public Works has held conferences to debate main issues, together with water services.
“There’s numerous funding that should occur, particularly for our fragile water techniques…we’re repairing over 300 plus breaks a day,” McFoy stated.
Whereas addressing these points, McFoy stated he may even prioritize neighborhood engagement. He plans to deal with Houston’s underserved and high-poverty neighborhoods by “going into communities” and asking residents about their wants.
McFoy started working on the Buffalo Sewer Authority in 2006, which he stated helped him perceive the function of a “public servant” and instilled in him the necessity to hear about points immediately from communities.
“You perceive that that’s why you’re there. You’re there to serve the neighborhood,” he stated. “…it means going to the place they’re, ensuring you’re taking part of their neighborhoods and telling them,’ Hey, that is what’s going on with the {dollars} that you’ve entrusted in us as public servants to steer.’”
Controversy in Buffalo
McFoy confronted scrutiny in Buffalo after the water board he led was sued in 2023 for failing to inform residents that fluoride had been lacking from the water provide for 9 years. Fluoride was reintroduced in 2024, with the CDC emphasizing its function in stopping cavities.
That 12 months, the board additionally violated the state’s Open Conferences Regulation by proscribing public participation and stopping the posting of assembly minutes. Moreover, an investigation discovered McFoy took 55 taxpayer-funded journeys to water conferences throughout 23 states since 2015, costing about $161,000.
In response to those controversies, McFoy defended his actions, stating that almost all experiences don’t inform the entire story. He emphasised his deal with neighborhood outcomes and inspired folks to have interaction with native organizations to gauge the affect of his work.
Concerning the journey bills, McFoy argued that the journeys had been crucial for skilled growth, serving to his crew keep engaged in management roles.
“One of many issues that I discovered serving within the function in public service for over 19 years is, sadly, you don’t get to inform your facet of the story. And you must maintain your head down and maintain shifting ahead,” he stated. “The folks that you’re delivering…there’s at all times two sides to the coin. Whenever you discuss experiences which have come out, I at all times ask of us to say, ‘Hey, for those who’re going to do the analysis, do the entire analysis, please drill down into these.’ As a result of as a public servant, typically we will’t elevate our hand and say, ‘that’s probably not what occurred.’”
Challenges forward
McFoy stated that funding would be the most urgent problem when tackling large-scale development tasks like sidewalks, water services and decades-old deferred upkeep tasks.
“There are at all times challenges with funding,” he stated. “It actually comes all the way down to the priorities. Streets…everybody touches each day after they’re driving their autos, their bicycles and after they’re strolling, so these are very public. However there are additionally issues beneath after we discuss concerning the water traces, whether or not that’s our sewers and our ingesting water traces that trigger the road to have some points…it’s not funding for one, it’s funding for all of these issues, in order that we will deal with them holistically and be sure that these roadway corridors are proper for the longer term generations.”
