By Tim SchmidtRecord Managing EditorNew Madrid City Administrator Chad Eggen will be the new executive director for Boonslick Regional Planning Commission.He accepted the position last week and will begin work April 16.Eggen has worked for New Madrid since 2012, spending one year as assistant city administrator and then moving up to the top position. New Madrid is located in southeast Missouri and has a population of 3,116. He also was employed as a regional planner and grant writer for Mid-Missouri Regional Planning Commission in Ashland from 2010 to 2012. He also served on the Bootheel Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission Transportation Advisory Committee.Eggen also was business operations manager for the Missouri General Assembly from 1999-2007. He holds a master’s degree in public administration.BRPC has been without an executive director since Dec. 31 when Mike Sutherland accepted a position as policy director with the Missouri Budget Project. Sutherland, a former Republican state representative and Warren County assessor, had been with the agency since April 2014.Longtime BRPC employee Chuck Eichmeyer has been filling in as interim director.BRPC assists local governments with a variety of tasks including grant writing, community and economic development, transportation, hazard mitigation, solid waste management and workforce development. It serves Warren, Montgomery and Lincoln counties. BRPC is one of 19 regional planning commissions in the state.“I am honored to accept this position, and I appreciate the opportunity the board has entrusted in me to lead the organization,” Eggen said in a press release. “I am very excited and eager to work with the professional staff, county and city officials and other stakeholders in the region. Working together and collaborating, I believe we can make a difference. I look forward to meeting people, being an advocate for the region and continuing the mission of promoting development and planning for the future.BRPC officials said Eggen has gained experience collaborating with elected officials, economic development groups, chambers of commerce and other various groups through the years.Last week Truesdale Mayor Murray Bruer, who serves as chairman of the BRPC executive board, confirmed a job offer had been made to a candidate. Around 70 resumes were received and four candidates were brought in for interviews with members of the executive board.“I have spoken with Chad and I feel he has the potential to further the growth of Boonslick RPC,” shared Bruer. “We are looking forward to him joining our organization.”Eggen’s base salary will be $70,000. Sutherland was earning $72,800.Chad Eggen