Oluwole ‘O.J.’ McFoy joined the Houston Public Works (HPW) leadership team as its new city engineer and advisor to Director Randy Macchi.
He now oversees all engineering decisions within the city.
“Houston Public Works conducted a nationwide search for an engineer who would bring about monumental change while aligning with the mayor’s vision. O.J. accepted that challenge, and we’re excited to get to work,” Macchi said, who was recently appointed director of the Houston Public Works, a department responsible for streets and drainage, production and distribution of water, collection and treatment of wastewate and permitting and regulation of public and private construction covering a 671-square-mile service area.
For this role, McFoy will receive an annual salary of $280,000, a significant jump from his salary of $120,000 in his former job at the Buffalo Sewer Authority in New York.
McFoy stated he aims to bring accountability to his new role in Houston, working alongside Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Macchi and 4,000 other employees. The upcoming project requiring this collaboration is the FIFA World Cup in 2026, during which NRG Stadium will host seven games.
“Randy and I speak every day just to make sure that we are both going in the right direction and that we understand what’s going on and he makes sure to have that conversation with the mayor,” McFoy said.
McFoy brings 25 years of experience to the city after serving as the general manager at the Buffalo Sewer Authority since 2015. Before that role, he was the organization’s chief operating officer, chief financial officer and chief engineer.
In these positions, he negotiated a $400 million plan to eliminate sewer overflows. He also served as the President of the U.S. Water Alliance and chairman of the Buffalo Water Board, a position he has held for 17 years.
“I bring a wealth of knowledge, but primarily, I come to the city of Houston with that background and also a national understanding of how things work in infrastructure, water, roads, bridges, transportation,” McFoy told the Defender. “I want to make sure that I am the director’s right hand as we are working towards building, building and building in Houston,” he said.
McFoy graduated from Clarkson University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.
Priorities
Whitmire introduced McFoy during a city council meeting and said one of his administration’s major priorities is infrastructure projects.
“With the combination of Randy Macchi’s leadership and O.J.’s experience as a respected engineer, we are moving forward on critical transformational projects to enhance the quality of life for all Houstonians,” Whitmire said.
As the city engineer, McFoy will make all engineering-related decisions on construction activities, overseeing engineering permitting and capital spending of nearly $1 billion a year on construction, sewage and water lines.
He added that in the last four weeks, Public Works has held meetings to discuss major concerns, including water facilities.
“There is a lot of investment that needs to happen, especially for our fragile water systems…we are repairing over 300 plus breaks a day,” McFoy said.
While addressing these issues, McFoy said he will also prioritize community engagement. He plans to focus on Houston’s underserved and high-poverty neighborhoods by “going into communities” and asking residents about their needs.
McFoy began working at the Buffalo Sewer Authority in 2006, which he said helped him understand the role of a “public servant” and instilled in him the need to hear about issues directly from communities.
“You understand that that’s why you’re there. You are there to serve the community,” he said. “…it means going to where they are, making sure you’re participating in their neighborhoods and telling them,’ Hey, this is what is going on with the dollars that you have entrusted in us as public servants to lead.’”
Controversy in Buffalo
McFoy faced scrutiny in Buffalo after the water board he led was sued in 2023 for failing to notify residents that fluoride had been missing from the water supply for nine years. Fluoride was reintroduced in 2024, with the CDC emphasizing its role in preventing cavities.
That year, the board also violated the state’s Open Meetings Law by restricting public participation and stopping the posting of meeting minutes. Additionally, an investigation found McFoy took 55 taxpayer-funded trips to water conferences across 23 states since 2015, costing about $161,000.
In response to these controversies, McFoy defended his actions, stating that most reports do not tell the complete story. He emphasized his focus on community outcomes and encouraged people to engage with local organizations to gauge the impact of his work.
Regarding the travel expenses, McFoy argued that the trips were necessary for professional development, helping his team stay engaged in leadership roles.
“One of the things that I learned serving in the role in public service for over 19 years is, unfortunately, you don’t get to tell your side of the story. And you have to keep your head down and keep moving forward,” he said. “The people that you are delivering…there’s always two sides to the coin. When you talk about reports that have come out, I always ask folks to say, ‘Hey, if you’re going to do the research, do the whole research, please drill down into those.’ Because as a public servant, sometimes we can’t raise our hand and say, ‘that’s not really what happened.’”
Challenges ahead
McFoy said that funding will be the most pressing challenge when tackling large-scale construction projects like sidewalks, water facilities and decades-old deferred maintenance projects.
“There are always challenges with funding,” he said. “It really comes down to the priorities. Streets…everyone touches every day when they’re riding their vehicles, their bicycles and when they’re walking, so these are very public. But there are also things underneath when we talk about the water lines, whether that’s our sewers and our drinking water lines that cause the street to have some issues…it’s not funding for one, it’s funding for all of those things, so that we can address them holistically and make sure that these roadway corridors are right for the future generations.”
