Oregon engineer takes the helm at county Public Works

Published 6:15 pm Thursday, May 7, 2015

With engineering experience on both sides of the border, Brian Vincent will take the up reigns of the San Juan County Department of Public Works.

A licensed engineer in Washington and in Oregon, Vincent was announced as the newly hired director of Public Works by San Juan County in a May 4 press release.

Most recently the county engineer for Multnomah County, home to Portland, Ore. and much of city’s suburban east side and beyond, Vincent has held several positions with Washington state’s Clark County as well, including manager of operations and of construction, as part of a 25-year career in local government.

Vincent will fill an extended void at the top of the department that followed the departure of former director Frank Mulcahy, who parted ways with the county in early fall of 2014. Mulchay was hired as director in the fall of 2011.

With about 65 full-time employees and an annual budget that totaled roughly $11 million in 2014, public works is the single-largest county department. In addition to maintaining county owned roads, public works operates stormwater and solid waste utilities, coordinates engineering for public projects, maintains county owned buildings and property, and buys and maintains the county’s fleet of cars, trucks, heavy equipment and boats.

A former member of the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps, Vincent in a licensed engineer in Washington and in Oregon, and earned a degree in civil engineering at the University of Washington and master’s degree in business administration at the University of Oregon.

He is married, the father of four children and is reportedly looking forward to to trying his hand at fishing and crabbing in local waters.