Mack Apparently Out... Who's In?
It appears that Sandra Mack of Cameron and Mittleman has been ousted from her position as legal counsel to the BCWA. At a special meeting of the board on Wednesday evening, January 16th, Ms. Mack failed to garner the five votes required to secure the position. The state enabling legislation requires a minimum of five votes to pass a resolution. The vote was 4-3.
BCWA has scheduled another meeting the last week of January to continue the voting process. The other two candidates are Michael McElroy and Keough & Sweeney.
Michael McElroy of Providence, is currently president of the 2012-2013 Rhode Island Bar Association, a former three-term Chairman of the Superior Court Bench/Bar Committee, and is a member of the House of Delegates and the Executive Committee. He is a Fellow of the Rhode Island Bar Foundation. He is a member of the Rhode Island Association for Justice. He is a former Special Assistant Attorney General and is currently Legal Counsel to the Rhode Island Personnel Appeal Board.
Keough & Sweeney represent and counsel Water, Wastewater and Renewable Energy clients in all aspects of the regulatory process before the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission and the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers. Their areas of expertise include Water Utility Law, Wastewater Utility Law, and Renewable Energy Law.
The BCWA board of directors opened the voting process on the 16th with the statement that they had three well qualified firms to choose from and that any one of them would be able to handle the job well. From the qualifications mentioned above we urge the directors to give serious consideration to cost and qualifications and give less weight to "institutional knowledge".
Manifold Witness
4:40 pm on Friday, January 18, 2013
Wow! These other 2 candidates are very impressive indeed. It would be nice to see BCWA hire one of them and get on with business.
All this controversy swirling around Mrs. Mack - over laws that allegedly are "unclear" to Mrs. Mack, and bylaws (did she write them or just forget to review them periodically?) that don't comport with state laws such as the Enabling Act or the Open Government laws, etc, etc, etc, is just about derailing the BCWA.
Mrs. Mack has been with BCWA since the early days, so this must be a reflection on her lack of “institutional knowledge” as well.
Not to mention all the violations and upheaval and votes and redos and redos and talk of more redos and press releases that go up on the BCWA website (admitting that 5 “yes” votes are required for the motion to carry) and then come down only to be replaced with a notice that BCWA has to hire yet another lawyer to give them advice that they can't seem to get from the high-priced Mrs. Mack.
And, frankly, we are having to spend way more time than we would like drafting comments.
It would be nice to have one of these well-qualified gentlemen in the job so we can all focus on more important work.
Jack Baillargeron
10:51 pm on Friday, January 18, 2013
Maybe we should get the old magic 8 ball in the middle of the Board table. Heck can't be any worse don't you think ;-}.
Bob Venice
5:35 pm on Monday, January 21, 2013
Some how, some way I would bet that Sandra Mack is rehired. BCWA and it's pro Pam Marchand Board Members will find a way. If the Biard would have waited until all nine members were present she would have received the 5 votes needed. Watch, the Board will be told that since the mistake was theirs and two members were missing, they can therefore vote for Mack a thired time.
marina peterson
8:46 pm on Monday, January 21, 2013
She will unless town councilors from all three towns put there foot down! There are three appointments to be made next month they can appoint three people who understand that there has to be a change.
Bob Venice
10:08 pm on Monday, January 21, 2013
Marina, who are the three that are up for reappointment
marina peterson
4:56 pm on Sunday, January 27, 2013
Bill Gosselin - Warren, Joe Demielo - Bristol (Joe is not asking to be re-appointed) and Kevin Fitta - Barrington (who is also not asking to be reappointed).
Jack Baillargeron
5:07 pm on Sunday, January 27, 2013
The sad thing is Marina, Some of the members are probly just getting fed up with fighting a losing battle against the powers that be I would think ;-{