The Director of Operations in an rural community must be able to “wear a lot of hats”, a phrase that simply means an overall knowledge of everything and the willingness to do anything related to public works.

Gordon Mitchel Fairservice had been the previous DofO and resigned officially at the start of 2022 and the Township of Schreiber had been advertising to fill his vacancy since December of 2021. Tammy Ibey was given the new title and how she ended up here was an interesting story.

Tammy was born in the area in Manitowadge and grew up in Marathon. An avid outdoors person and self described “tomboy” she has a special connection to the area around the north shore of Lake Superior. She says her father was an inspiration to her growing up. Tammy always had a passion for construction type work and especially anything to do with roads. It was her husband who she suggested that she apply for the job in Schreiber after he had heard an ad for the position on the local radio station. 

Linda Williamson talked with Tammy and wanted to know about how she felt working in a position that in the past had been a traditionally male dominated role. It seemed like she might be a role model for other women looking to get into this line of work. Modestly she denies being a role model as she just knew that the career she has was right for her. As for dealing with an all male crew she said that she had felt pressure in the past to do better and not be intimidated but she also has heaps of praise for her colleagues in Schreiber. 

Of course her job will not be easy as there are many aspects of the town's infrastructure that need addressing, especially in terms of waste water and water treatment maintenance. This winter has also been very tough with trying to balance an unprecedented snowfall with mechanical breakdowns of equipment. Through it all she remains optimistic and it would seem that she certainly has the necessary skills at her disposal to help steer the Schreiber Public Works Department into the future.