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This article was published 24/3/2015 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The nominee to become Winnipeg’s next chief administrative officer says he believes in an open and transparent government and will work to ensure the public is getting its money’s worth at city hall.

"I’m a strong, confident leader," Doug McNeil told reporters Tuesday morning as he headed to the mayor’s office. "I’m a public servant. I do my job because I believe in serving the public."

Mayor Brian Bowman announced last week that McNeil, a career civil servant with city hall and the province, was the choice of a search committee to become the city’s next CAO.

McNeil was to be introduced to members of council later this morning at a closed-door meeting. Council will vote on his appointment at its meeting Wednesday.

McNeil inherits a troubled public service. Collectively, the senior administration has been accused of repeatedly withholding vital information from council on several major projects, including the fire hall replacement program and the police headquarters project.

Most recently, Bowman said the administration had done "a woefully inadequate" job in government-funding applications for four major infrastructure projects.

McNeil rose to public prominence during the 1997 flood, where he was city hall’s public face, explaining efforts being carried out to stem the rising Red River.

Later, he moved to the Floodway Authority and then to the provincial government, where he rose to become the deputy minister of infrastructure and transportation.

McNeil said if council endorses his appointment, he will take time to get to know his administration team and members of council but said he will lead by example.

"Any systemic problems (with the administration) are the result of leadership," McNeil said. "I’ve been a bureaucrat for 30 years. A lot of people know me."

McNeil said he’s glad to be back at city hall after 11 years with the floodway authority and the province.

"I’m really excited to be back," McNeil said, explaining he spent 20 years working for the city in the water and waste department. "It’s exciting to come back and lead this great organization."

Following the meet-and-greet with McNeil, members of council move directly to a seminar on the four major infrastructure projects.

While council submitted funding requests to the province and Ottawa in the fall for the projects – Kenaston widening, Waverley underpass, Marion Street widening and underpass, Chief Peguis Trail extension from Main Street to Route 90 – the province and Ottawa wants the city to rank them in order of preference.

It’s believed that there won’t be enough federal and provincial funding to do all four projects.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca