West Fargo hires California man as new finance director

WEST FARGO — Willy Galindo, from California, has been named the city of West Fargo’s new finance director.

Galindo has served as a senior financial analyst with the city of Palmdale, Calif., since 2017. Prior to that, he worked in various finance and accounting roles for Princess Cruise Lines from 2007-2017.

Palmdale is a city with a population of more than 165,000. While there, Galindo was directly involved in the preparation and management of a $512 million budget. He also worked on financial reporting, audits, debt service, and the implementation of new financial software. Galindo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

“I am honored to be joining the city of West Fargo and am excited to be taking on the leadership role of finance director,” said Galindo in a statement issued by the city. “I was drawn to the growth of the area and hope to use my years of experience in city government finance as the city continues to grow into the future.”

The city has been searching for a new finance director since Heidi Delorme resigned in February.

She was hired in May 2023.

West Fargo interviewed three candidates in April after receiving about 20 applications. Two of the interviewees were from outside the region, City Administrator Dustin Scott said.

Following those interviews, the city decided to post the director position a second time as few applicants had prior city government experience.

The finance director is responsible for the management of accounting, debt/treasury, utility billing, budgeting, accounts payable/receivable, payroll and investments. Former finance directors have been paid between $123,600 and $140,000.

Galindo will begin in late September.

Wendy Reuer covers all things West Fargo for The Forum.