Candidate for
Director; Central Contra Costa Sanitary District

Most people don't want to think about what happens to the water after they shower, flush the toilet, or wash their dishes! I have been in the wastewater business for over 40 years and will look after this vital service for you!

I have over 25 years as a General Manager of wastewater agencies. Central San is a well-run, award winning Sanitary District, but even a good district needs to have knowledgable guidance to continue to grow and expand.

Central San, like almost all public entities in California, is facing shortfalls in its pension funding. Make no mistake, this is a real and complicated problem which will require time and dedication to fix. I have the background from years of contract negotiations with unions, contractors and consultants to face this problem and help lead CCCSD through it.

If elected, I will utilize these skills to address the current funding and pension issues facing the District. In addition, recent retirements at the District have resulted in the loss of many years of valuable experience and background. It will be very important for the Board to assure that new staff is well qualified and fairly compensated in the marketplace to assure the continuing successs of the District.

The most important issue for all public entities at this time is learning to live with less while continuing to deliver the services which the public rightly expects. I have experience in balancing the needs of the district with the desire of the public to get the most for their tax and rate dollars.

One of my greatest strengths lies in facilitation and collaboration of groups of diverse interests to create reasonable and consensus-driven solutions to challenges and problems facing public agencies.

As a nationally recognized expert in the field of Asset Management and special district organization, I am currently assisting six special districts in organizing or consolidating their operations to be right staffed and sustainable into the future. I have successfully consolidated or established new sewer operational organizations in California and have participated in several water and wastewater peer reviews of municipal and special district agencies in the United States and Canada making recommendations for improved operations and stronger financial sustainability.

While at the Delta Diablo Sanitation District I led the first large scale power plant cooling water project for two new energy centers in Pittsburg that were the largest power additions during the electrical crises in the early 2000's. This project required extensive collaboration of local, state and federal agencies along with a diverse set of private developers to approve, build and bring on line this large capital investment.

Thank you for considering me to represent you on the Board of Directors.