The Town Council appointed Kirk Blouin as the new Town Manager of Palm Beach effective February 13, 2018. Prior to this appointment, Blouin was sworn in as the 9th Chief of Police for the Town of Palm Beach in 2009 and subsequently appointed Director of Public Safety in 2011, overseeing all activities of both the Police and Fire Rescue Departments. Blouin joined the Palm Beach Police Department in 1989 as a Patrolman and rose to the rank of Major prior to being named Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety.
Since assuming the position as Director of Public Safety, the taxpayer cost for fire protection and emergency medical services is down significantly while service levels, including response times, have improved. This was achieved through the implementation of new technologies and creating a culture of excellence. And today, the Town of Palm Beach is experiencing historically low crime rates with substantially less manpower than when Blouin assumed the Police Chief position in 2009, and predominantly has solved more crimes than any other police department in the nation. One of the primary explanations for this trend is that Blouin focuses his leadership skills to developing and maintaining a culture of accountability by being proactive, implementing cutting edge technologies, and providing the best training possible for his department. As Town Manager, Blouin will continue to use his years of experience to help guide the direction of the Public Safety Departments.
In March 2012, Mr. Blouin was awarded the Palm Beach Civic Association’s William J. ‘Bill’ Brooks Community Service Award, for “significantly improving the quality of life in Palm Beach.” In addition, Blouin has amassed more than a hundred department and citizen commendations and, over his nearly three decades of working for the Town of Palm Beach, has developed close connections to the community and fully understands the community’s needs and expectations.
Blouin is a steadfast steward of taxpayer dollars, and “treats the citizens’ tax dollars as if they were his own.” Blouin believes, “We can always do more with less when we are resourceful, creative, strategic, and willing to work together in a collaborative manner.” Striving for excellence means creating and maintaining a culture of excellence; always striving to improve. He challenges everyone on his team to identify ways of enhancing services to the citizenry, improving efficiencies, and benchmarking best practices for the safety, well-being, and benefit of all residents, businesses, and guests.
Blouin works closely with the Town Council, department heads, and employees to improve town services, to cut the cost of government, and to optimize operational effectiveness. He is a hands-on leader and interacts well with residents, guests, civic and business leaders, the media, state and federal agencies, and government.
Mr. Blouin holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University. He is a graduate of the FBI's National Academy, has more than 4,000 hours of specialized and advanced law enforcement training, completed the Southern Police Institute Command Officers Development Course, and is a Certified Law Enforcement Instructor.
Mr. Blouin’s leadership roles as a member of diverse professional associations include: The International City/County Management Association, the Florida City and County Management Association, the Palm Beach County City Management Association, and a host of police associations including, Palm Beach County Association of Chiefs of Police (Past President), Florida Police Chiefs Association, Criminal Justice Commission (Past Board Member), Law Enforcement Planning Council of Palm Beach County (Chairperson), FBI National Academy Associates, and Florida League of Cities - Law Enforcement Advisory Panel (Founding Member, Vice Chairperson).
