City public works director resigns, moving back to Alaska

Columbia Falls will begin the search for a new public works director as Tyler Bradshaw has tendered his resignation.

Bradshaw and his family have decided to return to Alaska, city manager Susan Nicosia told the city council last week.

He did not immediately return calls seeking comment, but Nicosia said he received a job offer from a previous Alaskan employer that was too good to pass up. Bradshaw and his family moved here from Juneau, where he was a consulting engineer for that city.

Bradshaw came to Columbia Falls in 2018 and has since steered the city through a host of projects, like the installation of a new city well and the reconstruction of Sixth Street after voids were found under the sidewalks of the Nord Building.

Bradshaw is the son of Steve Bradshaw, the former superintendent of School District 6. He spent half his youth growing up in Red Lodge and the other half in Sitka, where his father was superintendent of schools at the time. Bradshaw enlisted in the Air Force out of high school. As a jet electrician from ’01 to ‘05 he did two tours in the Middle East, working primarily on F-15 fighter jets.

Nicosia said a search would start immediately. Bradshaw’s last day will be March 19, but he could consult with the city part-time after that if need be, Nicosia said.