Members of the Oakdale City Council appointed Jeff Gravel to serve as Public Services Director at the regular April 3 council meeting. Mr. Gravel has served as interim Public Services Director since September, taking over for retired director Thom Clark. His annual salary will be just over $122,176.

With over 23 years of experience in both private and public sector leadership, Gravel possesses a deep understanding of all aspects of public works, building, and planning services, noted Oakdale City Manager Bryan Whitemyer. Gravel joined the City of Oakdale in 2014 as Public Works Superintendent where he has directed water, storm, sewer, streets, parks, and facilities operations.

Previously, Gravel served in a variety of operations and construction management positions in the private sector, as well as spending seven years as a planning associate with the City of Pittsburg.

“Jeff is an experienced community-focused manager who has done a great job for the city the past six months as the interim director,” Whitemyer pointed out. “We had a field of strong candidates for the position and Jeff stood out among them. He will do an exceptional job for the city.”

Gravel’s selection comes after an extensive recruitment process where candidates from throughout the United States were considered.