Mike Taylor, former partner and president at Spokane-based Taylor Engineering Inc., has become the city of Spokane's new director of engineering services, replacing Tom Arnold, who left to take a job at the Spokane office of Coffman Engineers Inc.

"I felt I could add value at the city," says Taylor, 65. "This is a great opportunity. It's an exciting time to be taking the position."

Taylor retired officially from Taylor Engineering on Dec. 19, and took the position at the city Dec. 29. He is no longer a partner at the engineering firm, he says.

Taylor says he's looking forward to helping the city get ready for President-elect Barack Obama's infrastructure and job stimulus program. The incoming Obama administration has said its economic recovery plan will create jobs by improving the nation's transportation infrastructure, making public buildings more energy-efficient, modernizing schools, and expanding broadband Internet access.

Like the rest of the country, Spokane has a problem with deteriorating infrastructure, Taylor says.

"I think we are going to have to do a better job of getting the city residents to pay attention to infrastructure needs," he says. "We shouldn't wait until it breaks to start to fix it."

Taylor says he plans to help Spokane City Councilman Al French explain the benefits of a proposed street utility here. The utility would charge residents and businesses here a fee that would pay for maintenance and operation of the road system, as well as street-related capital improvement projects. He says a street utility is a more reliable funding source than what's currently in place.

"Our streets are probably the most visible problem we have," Taylor says. "We have to fix them. We can't just not do it."

Taylor sees a lot of similarities between his roles at Taylor Engineering, located at 106 W. Mission, and his new role at the city. "Unlike a private business, the city is a large bureaucratic organization," he says, "but I managed 56 people there, and I'm managing 78 people at the city."

He adds, "My leadership style is to try and get people to work towards their strengths—identify them, and work towards them. Sports managers have done that forever; business managers have not done that as well."

A number of people were interviewed for the advertised position, after which Spokane Mayor Mary Verner selected Taylor as her appointee, and the Spokane City Council confirmed the appointment, says city spokeswoman Marlene Feist.

Verner says, "The city of Spokane must work to find new ways of doing business that are less expensive and more effective. Mike Taylor has a wealth of business experience, and with his fresh eyes, we will find innovative ways to make needed changes."

Taylor will be responsible for engineering, design, and bidding of public works projects. He will review and approve plans for private construction of public amenities, including streets, sewer or water mains and connections, and sidewalks, she says. He will be responsible for construction management on public works projects.

In 1985, Taylor and a colleague, Dennis Scott, founded the engineering firm Scott Taylor Co., but Scott took a job with the city about a year later, and the firm became Taylor Engineering.