Eastbayri.com

BRISTOL — To the editor:

Yet another Bristol County Water Authority (BCWA) outrage was revealed at the Jan. 26 Bristol Town Council meeting during a discussion on revisions to the BCWA legislation and bylaws.

The town council wanted to know why the BCWA board itself was routinely involved in day-to-day management decisions that should have been the responsibility of former Executive Director Pasquale DeLise. Bristol director Frank Sylvia, chairman of the audit/finance committee, explained to the council that for the past two years, the board has had to be directly involved in the executive director’s day-to-day management decisions to “make sure things got done.”

Mr. Sylvia explained that for the past 1 1/2 to 2 years, the directors, and primarily chairman Jannitto, needed to stay very close to the executive director to make sure he did his job and, sometimes, do it for him. The board virtually “shadowed” his every move to make sure things got done. In this two-year period, BCWA ratepayers paid out approximately $250,000 in salary and benefits to executive director DeLise. Mr.. Sylvia stated he is hoping this will change with the selection of a new executive director.

Not one member of the town council had a question. I have a few:

1.) What qualifications does chairman Jannitto have to operate a water authority?

2.) Why did Mr. DeLise remain on the payroll if indeed he had lost the board’s confidence as executive director?

3.) Why, after he offered his resignation, didn’t the board demand that Mr. DeLise leave immediately?

4.) How much has it cost ratepayers to have attorney Sandra Mack shadow chairman Jannitto to make sure he was doing the executive director’s job properly?

5.) How much will it ultimately cost ratepayers if Mr. DeLise’s dereliction of his duties creates added ratepayer costs to the implementation of the proposed Pawtucket to BCWA pipeline connection?

Ratepayers should be provided an answer on how things got so out of hand at BCWA, that unqualified directors needed to fill in for the executive director. This should bring outrage to every ratepayer!

I do want to give my definition of the board and the directors in this discussion. In my opinion, this term certainly would exclude any of the new directors, i.e. Joe DeMelo, Brian Bishop, Kevin Fitta, who are too new to be painted with this brush. The other six directors, Frank Sylvia, John Jannitto, Bill Gosselin, Frank Nencka, Lloyd Matsumoto and Allen Klepper certainly have been around long enough to be considered willing participants to this ruse. Again, just my opinion.

Marina Peterson

Bristol