GLWA CEO Sue McCormick Resigns

In the wake of several heavy rain storms in late June and early July, and the flood of criticism that followed (pun intended), the CEO of the Great Lakes Water Authority, Sue McCormick, submitted her resignation on Tuesday. Ms. McCormick was appointed to lead the GLWA in October, 2015.

Comment:  During her nearly six year tenure, Sue was instrumental in standing up the GLWA as a brand new authority and restoring integrity and transparency to a system that was marred by scandal and corruption. Running one of the country's largest water and wastewater systems is a tough job on a good day. Sue did a good job and is to commended for her efforts.   

 

Sue McCormick Selected to Lead Great Lakes Water Authority

The Board of Directors of the Great Lakes Water Authority voted 5-1 this afternoon for Sue McCormick to serve as the Authority's first CEO.  Ms. McCormick currently serves as the Interim-CEO. She most recently served as Director of DWSD from January, 2012 until two weeks ago when Gary Brown was selected to replace her. 

The only opposition to Ms. McCormick among the Board members was from Robert Daddow, who is the Oakland County representative on the GLWA. Mr. Daddow favored Randy Moore, an executive from American Water. Under the GLWA By-Laws, a minimum of 5 affirmative votes was required to approve the resolution approving Ms. McCormick's selection. The Board still must approve an employment agreement with Ms. McCormick.

For more about DWSD Update, click here. 

Great Lakes Water Board Reduces List of CEO Candidates, Delays Final Vote until Monday

The Great Lakes Water Authority Board of Directors met this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. to select a new CEO, but decided instead to cut the list of candidates down to two - Sue McCormick and Randy Moore - and postpone a final vote until Monday, October 19th at 1:30 p.m. 

Ms. McCormick and Mr. Moore reportedly garnered the highest rankings among the four candidates, following a lengthy interview process on October 12th that ran more than 4 hours.  So, the decision was made to cut the short list in half.  

The decision to delay a final vote until next Monday was to give the Board enough time to receive and review complete background checks on the two finalists.

The GLWA Board meets in the 5th Floor Board Room in the Water Board Building at 735 Randolph.   

For more about DWSD Update, click here.

Great Lakes Water Authority Approves Short List of Candidates for CEO (UPDATED)

On October 7, 2015, shortly after the Detroit Board of Water Commissioners approved a new Director and Deputy Director, the Board of Directors of the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) held a public meeting and approved a short list of 4 candidates to fill the top position with the new Authority. 

The four finalists for the CEO position are:

• Kofi Boateng
• Tom Heikkinen
• Sue McCormick
• Randy Moore

The GLWA Board will interview the 4 candidates in an open session on Monday, October 12, 2015 at 3:00 p.m.  (Update: According the GLWA's Calendar - http://glwater.org/event/glwa-special-meeting-ceo-selection/ - the CEO interviews are scheduled for Tuesday, October 13th at 4:00 p.m.)  The GLWA Board meets in the 5th Floor Board Room in the Water Board Building at 735 Randolph. 

The GLWA Board is also expected to deliberate in open session and select a CEO candidate with whom it will engage in contract negotiations.

Comment: Other than Sue McCormick, who is currently serving as Interim-CEO, and served as Director of DWSD for the past 4 years, I don't know any of the other candidates. I have linked each candidate to their LinkedIn profile. If any of you have insights about the other three candidates, now is the time to speak up!  

For more about DWSD Update, click here.     

Mediator's Tenure Extended, May Signal Extension of June 14th Deadline to Reach Deal with GLWA (UPDATED)

Update (6/8): At 8:37 a.m. this morning, the order entered on Friday extending Judge Cox's role as mediator was vacated by the Clerk of the Court. The order indicates that Friday's order was entered in error.   

Last Friday, June 5, 2015, the judge overseeing the remainder of Detroit's Chapter 9 bankruptcy entered  an order extending until January 1, 2016,  Judge Sean Cox's appointment as mediator of matters involving DWSD and the Great Lakes Water Authority.

Without an extension, Judge Cox's appointment would have expired on June 14, 2015, which is the deadline for DWSD and the Great Lakes Water Authority to finalize and execute the terms of a long-term lease. 

Under the contemplated lease agreements, the GLWA would operate and maintain DWSD's water and wastewater treatment facilities for 40 years in consideration of annual lease payments to the City of $50 million.

Under the terms of the Amended Plan of Adjustment submitted in the City's Chapter 9 bankruptcy, which created the Great Lakes Water Authority effective November 26, 2014, the new authority and the City of Detroit have 200 days to completion negotiations and execute the contemplated lease agreements. That deadline is June 14, 2015.

To date, these negotiations have occurred behind closed doors with Judge Cox serving as mediator, but subject to a court order prohibiting the participants from discussing any of the matters.  Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel has been very outspoken in his criticism of these confidential (secret) negotiations. Reports indicate that Macomb County has been shut out of the process. 

Comment: I have no inside information (which I couldn't share with you anyhow), but entry of last Friday's order, extending Judge Cox's tenure as mediator to the end of 2015, strongly suggests to me that the June 14, 2015 deadline to complete a deal on a long-term lease agreement is going to be extended. I don't know how you can finalize a deal if Macomb County is not part of the process. That makes no sense to me. If I were to guess, I would say the parties will ask (or have already asked) for a new deadline that goes to mid-October or early November. What do you think? 

For more about DWSD Update, click here. 

Great Lakes Water Authority Seminar planned by Oakland County Bar Association

The Oakland County Bar Association is planning a lunch seminar on January 13, 2015 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. to discuss the Great Lakes Water Authority.

Hosted by the Energy, Sustainability and Environmental Law Committee, this event will feature speakers L. Brooks Patterson, Oakland County Executive, and J. Bryan Williams, who is the Oakland County representative on the current Board of Water Commissioners. 

For more details concerning this event, check out the OCBA's Facebook page here. The Oakland County Bar Association is located at 1760 S. Telegraph Rd., Ste 100, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302-0181. 

For more about DWSD Update, click here.   

Wayne County Appoints Nardone to Great Lakes Water Authority

The Detroit News reported last Friday [12/19] that the Wayne County Commission voted unanimously to appoint Joseph Nardone as the County's representative to the Great Lakes Water Authority. Mr. Nardone currently serves as Director of Development for the Wayne County Airport Authority. 

Mr. Nardone's LinkedIn profile (here) doesn't reveal very much information about his education or background prior to his appointment to the Airport Authority in November, 2012. The Detroit News reports here that Mr. Nardone previously worked for the Wayne County Parks Division and is a 1985 graduate of Michigan State University. 

For more about DWSD Update, click here.

Great Lakes Water Authority Schedules First Public Meeting (UPDATED)

The Detroit Free Press reports this morning (here) that the Great Lakes Water Authority is scheduled to hold its first public meeting on Friday, December 12, 2014.  The meeting will  be held in the Water Board Building, 5th Floor Board Room and begin at 1:30 p.m.

Notice for the meeting, published on the DWSD website, describes the meeting as an organizational meeting. To date, only two members of the GLWA Board have been appointed -- Robert Daddow for Oakland County and Brian Baker for Macomb County --  which is not enough for a quorum.  

The GLWA Board consists of 6 members, one appointed by Oakland, Macomb and Wayne Counties; two appointed by the City of Detroit; and one by the State of Michigan. The remaining four board members have not been announced publicly. 

Comment: Presumably, the new authority would not be meeting unless the remaining board members had been selected privately. I anticipate a public announcement of the remaining four board members within the next 24 hours. There's no reason to delay things further. Time to get down to business.   

Update (12/12/14 - 8:45 a.m.): Mayor Duggan has reportedly appointed Gary Brown and Ike McKinnon to the Board, both of whom are members of the Mayor's Administration. Governor Snyder has reportedly appointed Edward Hood, a retired attorney from Ann Arbor. Mr. Hood previously practiced with Dykema Gossett. No word yet on who has been selected to represent Wayne County. 

For more about DWSD Update, click here.    

Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties Approve New Regional Water Authority (UDPATED)

On  October 9, 2014, Macomb County joined Wayne and Oakland Counties in approving plans to join the new Great Lakes Water Authority, which will lease DWSD's water and sewerage assets for 40 years.

Update (10/16): Oakland County has appointed Robert Daddow, deputy county executive, to serve on the Board for the new Great Lakes Water Authority.  Daddow is quoted by the Detroit News: 

"I'll have two measuring sticks while serving on the board," Daddow said. "One will determine whether a matter before the board helps or harms ratepayers. The other will ascertain whether it makes monetary sense."

Update: (10/21): Macomb County has appointed Brian Baker, finance and budget director for the City of Sterling Heights, to serve as its representative on the new Authority. 

For more about DWSD Update, click here.    

Detroit Water Board Adopts Resolution Endorsing MOU, Great Lakes Water Authority (UPDATED)

On September 17, 2014, during a Special Meeting, the Board of Water Commissioners adopted a resolution endorsing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the formation of the Great Lakes Water Authority.  

The Detroit City Council is expected to vote on September 19th on a similar resolution. However, if the City Council fails to endorse the new authority, the Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr has the power to do so. 

Oakland and Macomb County Commissions are also in the process of reviewing and voting on adoption of the MOU and the Great Lakes Water Authority. 

Oakland County has a website here with much more information about the Great Lakes Water Authority, including draft Articles of Incorporation here.  Macomb County has posted information about the new authority here. 

Earlier this week, Crain's Detroit Business published two terrific articles here and here explaining the details of the new authority and how it will impact Detroit and the suburbs. 

Update (9/19): Detroit City Council voted 7-2 to approve the plan for a regional water authority. 

For more about DWSD Update, click here.