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Dowell Hoskins-Squier Now Environmental Quality and Public Works Commissioner

Lexington’s Urban County Council confirmed the appointment of its newest Commissioner of Environmental Quality and Public Works Thursday.

The new commissioner has a background as a civil engineer and previously ran the city’s traffic engineering division.  She says her biggest priority will be customer service, as her division’s area of responsibility is vast.   

“95% of all LexCall requests for the government come to the Department of Environmental Quality and Public Works.  In November, we received a little bit over 5,500 LexCall requests,” she said.

Hoskins-Squier says her past engineering work has given her valuable experience in project management and problem solving, but admits she will have a lot to oversee. 

“I think just operationally, the department is likely the most challenging department to run on an operational basis within this government, so just pure operation related things are going to be a focus for me,” she said.

Hoskins-Squier will replace lawyer David Holmes, who ran the division beginning in May 2014.  She will also oversee aspects of the Traffic Engineering Division for the next six weeks as the Council begins their search for her successor. 

Chase Cavanaugh first got on the air as a volunteer reader for Central Kentucky Radio Eye, a local news service for the visually impaired. He began reporting for WUKY in February 2012, after receiving his Master’s degree from the University of Kentucky’s Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce.