The City of Abbotsford has hired from within to fill its top position.

Peter Sparanese was announced as the new city manager Tuesday. He will take over from George Murray, who has retired after five years in the role.

Sparanese is a familiar face around city hall, having spent the last three years as Abbotsford’s general manager of engineering and regional utilities. Prior to that, he headed the Capital Regional District’s engineering division.

In a press release issue just before noon on Tuesday, Mayor Henry Braun said Sparanese was chosen unanimously by council from among 41 applications.

“Mr. Sparanese stood out as the best candidate for our city from a local government experience and local community understanding perspective,” Braun said in the release. “Mr. Sparanese has a solid reputation as a leader in local government and possesses an in-depth understanding of current municipal and regional matters, as well [as] a solid grasp on broader government issues.”

The city manager’s position is the highest non-political job with the City of Abbotsford. Sparanese will be in charge of the city’s $260 million budget and more than 1,000 employees.

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