After 35 years with Shasta County, Troy Bartolomei is retiring as its public works director, a position he has held for two years.
Bartolomei’s last day will be May 1.
“I wanted to give the board (of supervisors) plenty of time to have my replacement in line before I depart,” the 61-year-old Bartolomei told the Record Searchlight.
Supervisors discussed Bartolomei’s successor in closed session during their public meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 10. His replacement will be the fourth county public works director in four years.
Bartolomei said the time is right for him to retire.
“Oh, it’s just that I am getting older and it makes fiscal sense now. I got a couple of grandkids and a third one on the way so I want to move to a different stage of my life, maybe travel more, more fishing,” he said. “It just has been 35 years and it’s time for a change.”
His retirement will come months before demolition work is expected to start on the old Shasta County Courthouse, a $7 million project that Bartolomei led and brought before supervisors. The board approved the demolition of the 1950s-era, three-story building last spring.
The director’s position in public works has experienced turnover in recent years.
Bartolomei was appointed interim director in 2023, replacing Al Cathey, who had been public works director for a little more than a year. Cathey replaced longtime director Pat Minturn, who retired in 2022 before working for a short time as the county’s interim executive officer.
Bartolomei was appointed public works director in January 2024.
He started working for Shasta County as a junior engineer after a short stint working in Los Angeles.
“I hated the big city. I did that for three months and came up here and never left,” said Bartolomei, who grew up in Ukiah and went to college at Brigham Young University in Utah.
In a Feb. 2 letter he wrote to the board of supervisors and County Executive Officer David Rickert, Bartolomei said he has mixed emotions about his decision
“I have been fortunate to spend nearly my entire engineering career with Shasta County Public Works. I have associated with several Public Works Departments throughout the State. I feel we have the best department. We are frequently contacted by others for advice. This is due to the great staff. They are competent, conscientious, and enjoyable to work with. I can say there is truly a team atmosphere in the department,” he states in the letter.
In the letter, Bartolomei also recommends that his replacement come from within the department, noting that there are multiple qualified candidates.
Bartolomei said other counties are struggling to find public works directors and some have left the position vacant for more than a year.
“On more than one occasion, other Public Works Departments have attempted to recruit Shasta County staff for Public Works Director positions. I am confident you will find your next director among the current department staff,” he wrote.
David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly “Buzz on the Street” column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on X @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta public works chief Troy Bartolomei to retire, last day is May 1
Reporting by David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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