LEWISTON – City leaders are looking for a new public works director, after shuffling department heads in the wake of Chris Branch’s resignation last week.

David Jones, the city’s public works director, will take over Branch’s public services director job. City Administrator Jim Bennett said the city will advertise to find a new public works director immediately.

Branch, a 26-year public works veteran, announced his resignation last week. He will join the staff of Auburn land planning firm Technical Services Inc.

“It’s going to be a big challenge for me because Chris is involved in all the developments going on and he has all the contacts, as well,” Jones said. “He works with the engineers and keeps tabs, day to day, on what’s going on. So he has mighty big shoes to fill, and a lot of history, too.”

Jones also has a long resume. He worked with the Department of the Navy from 1991 through 1999, serving as a facility director, a facilities engineering command executive officer and the senior vice president of the base closure program.

Bennett split the city’s Public Works Department in half last year. Jones and the new Public Works Department were put in charge of day-to-day operations – for example, road work in summer and plowing in winter. Branch was put in charge of the Public Services Department, which manages $25 million worth of projects for the city, including water and sewer line projects and road work.

Bennett plans to form a panel to interview prospective employees. Panelists would include city employees, elected officials and Lewiston residents. Anyone interested in serving on the panel is asked to contact Bennett at 784-2951, extension 107.