Time For Factual Water Board Report

Bristol County Water Authority Director Allan Klepper of Barrington wrote an outrageously false statement on behalf of the BCWA directors in their February monthly report to the town councils dated January 25, 2012. This by itself may not be so unusual in that the BCWA monthly reports and minutes often contain such statements.

But this time it’s different. This time the problem comes at the same time the BCWA Board of Directors are about to choose the next Executive Director. This particular false statement might be used as an excuse to eliminate the one person many in the tritown community perceive as being the best candidate for the next Executive Director at BCWA.

The statement in the monthly report reads: "He acknowledged the $6.9 million state obligation dedicated to BCWA projects and admitted that the RIWRB had given BCWA second-class treatment over the years." I was at this BCWA meeting where this statement was allegedly made. Neither point in Mr. Klepper’s statement is true. The statement simply was not made by the "He" in this matter, Mr. Ken Burke, the current General Manager of the RI Water Resources Board.

For the past two years, we have spent countless hours examining the documents and history of BCWA and their relationship with the RIWRB. I can say for certain that it is BCWA alone who created the problems that BCWA faces today. My only criticism in the past of the RIWRB is that they may have bent rules, but the reasons were often to help BCWA move forward in their schedule of projects, not to give them "second-class treatment."

If the issue at the moment is to point blame for past problems at BCWA, Mr. Klepper’s finger should be pointed squarely at himself, Chairman (John) Jannitto, Mrs. (Sandra) Mack and Mr. (Pasquale) DeLise for starters. Making a false statement in a public document about one of the candidates at the very time the selection for the next Executive Director is about to be made may be a new low for the BCWA.

BCWA has again failed to engage competent professional help in this important process choosing instead a "do-it-yourself" strategy.  It remains to be seen whether the resumes of the final candidates will even be properly vetted.  

The BCWA Board of Directors must now step up and reconcile this matter concerning one of the candidates. It is time for Mr. Klepper to own up to his mistakes and write a factual monthly report.

Gary Morse, Barrington