Council votes to re-approve RWSA chief

Amid great controversy over the future of the area’s long-term water supply, the Charlottesville City Council on Monday unanimously re-approved Mike Gaffney to head the board of directors for the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority.
The decision, which will also be voted on by the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, paves the way for Gaffney to serve his fourth term as chairman.

“Mike made it very clear that he doesn’t have a personal agenda,” Mayor Dave Norris said in an interview. “Mike’s agenda is to carry out the wishes of the city and the county.”
But the appointment was proposed with a slight change from the norm: Councilors requested adding one elected official from each of the city and the county governments onto the board, a move that Norris said is designed to bring more accountability to the body.

“There needs to be more public accountability to the authority’s decision-making,” Norris said.
Gaffney, who will also continue to serve as the head of the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority board, was first appointed to the chairmanship in 2003. In 2002, Gaffney said, the localities were looking for someone who would help the authority implement a community water supply system, get the necessary permits and start construction.
He said he sought reappointment to finish the job he was tasked with nearly six years ago.
“I haven’t necessarily fulfilled what they asked to do when they appointed me, but we’re close,” Gaffney said.

Given the controversy that has surrounded the 50-year long-term water supply plan in recent months, others in the community were calling for a change in leadership. Rich Collins, who applied for the job again this year after having served as chairman from 2000 to 2002, said he thought a change would allow the board to proceed with a more open mind about the community’s future water needs. Last week, the City Council interviewed seven people, including Gaffney, for the position.
“Many people perceive a kind of doggedness about the current water supply plan that is not justified or merited,” said Collins, who has been one of the fiercest critics of the current plan. “Without some change, many people will feel that there is no hope in terms of alternative study.”

Gaffney said the role of the chairman is to be a facilitator between the city and county — something that he and Collins agree upon — to help both bodies come to a mutual agreement about the area’s water supply and not push one solution over another.
“I think at this point, naming someone else would be a reason to question the community water supply plan that we have already adopted,” he said.
Gaffney agreed that some of the people who are opposed to the long-term plan have reasonable concerns, which escalated after the authority more than doubled the original, $37 million estimated cost of replacing the Ragged Mountain Reservoir dam.
Last month, both city and county officials agreed to hire experts to review the cost of replacing the dam, as well as the estimated cost and feasibility of a pipeline that would transport water from the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir to the expanded Ragged Mountain Reservoir.
“There are legitimate issues that we need to address to the community,” Gaffney said.

Councilor Julian Taliaferro, who said in an interview that he went back and forth in deciding who should be chosen for the position, said local officials shared the community’s skepticism about the sudden cost estimate increase.
“I kind of lost confidence in the board on account of that,” he said. “That still bothers me.”
But Taliaferro said he ultimately decided that Gaffney would be best because of his long-time involvement. Councilor David Brown agreed, saying that while it is necessary to reassure the public that the current plan is a good one, continuity is needed in leadership when dealing with such an important and complex issue. Brown said he supports the current plan.
“I think it’d be a very steep learning curve for someone new to come in,” he said.