Dave Hayward
A long-time public servant plans to retire at the end of next year.
Columbus City Engineer and Executive Director of Public Works Dave Hayward has said that Assistant City Engineer Andrew Beckort will become the city’s head engineer on Jan. 1, 2023. Hayward will stay on as executive director of public works for a year, then retire at the end of 2023.
In discussing his plans, Hayward said that having two licensed engineers on the staff at the same time — which has never happened before — provides a unique opportunity to be proactive with succession planning.
“The timing is good,” he said. “First of all, it’s my age and the fact that I’m ready to slow down a little bit but still healthy enough to be active and do some things.”
Hayward, who is 68, said that he will retire just three months before he turns 70. His exit will coincide with the start of a new mayoral administration in 2024, which he said is also good timing.
Following Hayward’s retirement, the executive director position will be dissolved, and a new assistant city engineer will be hired, so there will be “no net change” in the number of city personnel. He noted that it will be up to Columbus’ next mayor to decide whether to keep Beckort on as city engineer or hire someone else.
Hayward’s service as city engineer spans four administrations and adds up to about 20 years — first from 1991 to 2002, then 2011 to 2013, and now from 2016 to present. He worked for Christopher B. Burk Engineering in Indianapolis in the years between these terms.
“It’s (the city of Columbus) been a great place to be and work,” said Hayward. “And we’ve had some fun projects, and I think we have worked with four different mayors. In concert with those mayors and all the other city staff that I’ve worked with and my own staff, we’ve made Columbus a better place during that time, and we’re not done. We’ve got another year yet, so we can get some more done.”
