Council unanimously approves ordinance change and appoints first non-engineer head of public works

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A new Houston Public Works director was appointed Wednesday, marking the first time in recent history that the person holding the position is not an engineer.

City council unanimously voted for Randall Macchi for the job.

Macchi is the chief operating officer for Houston Public Works and has been sharing the title of interim public works director since last April.

Councilmembers described him as a leader who can handle the challenges and get things done.

He's a lawyer and a leadership development coach, but has no engineering experience - something that other engineers familiar with city infrastructure expressed concerns about to ABC13.

The president of the American Society of Civil Engineers sent a letter to the mayor, explaining that an engineering license is important because the leader of the department makes huge decisions that affect public safety.

Houston's city ordinance required the city's Houston Public Works director to have an engineering license. Texas law also requires an engineer to sign off on all engineering work.

In order to move Macchi into the position, councilmembers had to get rid of the engineering requirement that is in the city ordinance for the role.

Council passed dropping the requirement and confirming Macchi unanimously Wednesday morning.

"We know well the conditions of our streets need a lot of attention. We know well that water leaks continue to plague us across the city, and regardless of the fact of whether we inherit these challenges or not, we still have the responsibility to address it, and we will do it," Macchi said.

Macchi mentioned the city's new engineer coming from Buffalo, New York, to help him. He says that's the key to course correction and delivering on large-scale projects.

The mayor's office sent ABC13 this statement:

"All department directors are accountable for effective execution of their responsibilities. The city engineer will be responsible for signing off on engineering-related decisions," Chris Newport, the chief of staff, said.

For news updates, follow Courtney Fischer on Facebook, X and Instagram.