Long-time Department of Public Works (DPW) employee Todd Hajek has been officially named the new director of the department after a stint of as interim director.

Hajek’s hire was unanimously approved by the Board of Selectmen at a meeting on May 8 and his first official day was May 14.

“I look forward to continuing the working relationship with Todd Hajek,” said First Selectman Christine Goupil. “He has shown a tremendous commitment to the town.”

Hajek began working with the department 28 years ago.

“I feel excellent. I’ve been here a long time. I worked my way up and I’m glad I was able to prove myself,” Hajek said.

As for the first order of business, Hajek said that he would focus on keeping the department running as is.

“We have a good reputation and we want to keep it that way,” Hajek said.

A report on the department compiled by Robert Myers, a consultant with the Conference of Connecticut Municipalities (CCM) who served as interim director of the department from January to early April, supports that conclusion.

In a copy of the report provided to the Harbor News, Myers wrote “The Town of Clinton...is in a good position to move its DPW forward with many no- or low-cost solutions, collaborative measures, and modern, efficient, and effective best practice procedures.”

Myers also noted the cleanliness and organization of DPW headquarters, a lack of complaints about the department, and the level of department morale.

Hajek said Myer’s report was helpful because “a lot of procedural stuff we can do differently. Sometimes an outsider’s views can make things better.”

Myers was brought in after Peter Neff retired as head of the department at the end of January. Myers was tasked with helping evaluate the efficiency of the department on items like staffing, workload distribution, and productivity. Following Myers’ departure in April, Hajek was named the interim head director for a month before his formal hire.

Hajek said he would also like to the public to know that the DPW is always available, and can be reached at 860-664-1100 and clintondpw@clintonct.net.