The City of Saint John will soon have a new chief administrative officer.

On Monday, council voted to appoint Brent McGovern as incoming CAO.

He will take over the top municipal role when City Manager John Collin retires in January.

“Over his many years of public service, Mr. McGovern has gained the utmost respect of Council and has shown himself to be a skilled and genuine collaborator, a strategic thinker, and innovative leader,” Acting Mayor John MacKenzie said in a news release.

“His in-depth understanding of the City as an organization and the services it provides, along with strong working relationships with staff and the City’s many partners and stakeholders, make him a perfect fit for the position.”

McGovern has worked with the city on and off for the better part of the past two decades. He started as a municipal design engineer in 2000, according to the news release.

From 2011 to 2015, he went to California to work as a senior manager in the private sector before returning to Saint John.

In 2015, McGovern was the project manager responsible for implementing the city’s One Stop Development Shop.

He served as Commissioner of Saint John Water from 2016 to 2020, where he led the $225-million Safe, Clean Drinking Water Project.

McGovern’s roles expanded further in 2020 when he was appointed to his current position as Commissioner of Utilities and Infrastructure, overseeing Saint John Water, along with engineering design and project management of the city’s capital programs.

“I am honoured by the privilege of being appointed as the next CAO and the opportunity to lead our dedicated and professional staff in the excellent work they do to serve our community and move Saint John forward,” McGovern said in the release.