by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
City of Jacksonville Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Derek Igou, who recently turned 50, said that early on he never thought he would be in a position to contribute to the day-to-day operations of the City and be the third generation of his family to serve.
He was preceded by his grandfather, who was a general equipment mechanic in the Parks and Recreation Department, and his father, who began cleaning ditches and working on survey crews for the City and rose to deputy director of Public Works.
“I was working for Bendix in the late ‘80s and they were going to transfer me to South Bend, Indiana,” said Igou.
“I never thought I was going to work for the City. My grandfather and my father had worked for the City and I just didn’t think it was the place for me. I thought the corporate world would be better for me,” he said.
But when he decided not to transfer with Bendix, and thought about the future of his young family, he liked the stability that came with working for the City.
“I knew that, in order to get where I wanted to go in the corporate world, I would have to relocate my family a couple of times,” said Igou. “I didn’t want to do that, so I applied for a temporary position with JEA at a call center and then in the City’s Environmental Division.”
During his 23-year-plus career with the city, Igou has held many titles. Some of the more recent include division chief of the Public Parking Division, director of Growing Great Neighborhoods and chief of the Property Safety Enforcement Division of the Neighborhoods Department.
His current title, deputy chief administrative officer, has Igou overseeing the departments in which he formerly worked.
“It’s very humbling to be given this opportunity and I’m proud to be doing this job,” said Igou.
He has direct oversight of the Sustainable Communities Department and Divisions, which include Planning and Development, Housing and Neighborhoods and Environmental and Compliance activities.
He also directs the implementation and oversight of various programs, special projects and strategic initiatives, such as the City’s “green” programs.
“We have a sustainability officer, John Shellhorn, but I still keep my hands in it,” said Igou.
“You would like to have unlimited resources for the sustainability program, but I think you will see technology changing green practices in the future. We crunch the numbers and see where we are getting the best return for our investment,” he said.
Igou has adjusted to the path of his career, but he also must adapt to another phase of life, the thought of having a son nearing 30.
“They grow up so fast. It’s seems like yesterday that they were learning how to ride bikes and we were playing with remote control cars,” said Igou, who has two sons Daniel, 27, and Dylan, 18.
“My wife (Francie) and I are trying to enjoy every moment with our grandson (Deyton). Those are very precious times.”
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