Capital Region Water Board Chair Marc Kurowski speaks during a Harrisburg City Council meeting.
The board chair of Harrisburg’s water and sewer authority clashed with Mayor Wanda Williams on Tuesday over her plan to flush out and replace many current board members.
At a City Council meeting, Williams introduced three appointees to the Capital Region Water (CRW) board who would replace directors whose terms have expired.
“At this point, it is time for a change,” she said. “This system is set up for a constant flow of new blood to always keep things fresh. To turn the page, I’m coming in front of this board with three very qualified individuals.”
CRW’s current board is made up of four directors, with one vacant seat. While CRW board members’ terms are set for five years, they may serve until replaced. Three of the current members’ terms have expired. The new appointments would replace board chair Marc Kurowski, vice chair Crystal Skotedis and assistant secretary/treasurer Andrew Enders. Board secretary Garvey Presley is serving the last year of his term.
Williams has appointed and is seeking city council’s approval for three people to replace the members with expired terms. Her appointments are Deborah Robinson, Joseph Link and Karen Balaban.
At the council meeting, Williams explained her decision to replace board members by saying it was time for “new, fresh, experienced, skill-based” people. Recently she’s been working to fill all city boards, not just CRW’s, she told TheBurg.
However, during public comment, Kurowski, who also owns Harrisburg-based K&W Engineers and Consultants, expressed his concern with a majority replacement of the board.
“The loss of continuity, board stability and institutional knowledge associated with replacing a majority of the board, or frankly just two members, on a five-member board is enormous,” he said. “This takes years. I do this for a living, and it is still complicated and complex every single day.”
At a council meeting last month, Enders echoed Kurowski’s comments, sharing his concern over the majority board replacement, during public comment. To preserve the board’s institutional knowledge, both members asked council to stagger the new appointments.
The three new appointees to the board have experience in law, engineering and human resources, according to the city. Balaban has been an attorney for over 40 years. Link is a retired professional engineer and former city engineer for Harrisburg. Robinson has 50 years of experience in administrative services and currently serves as the special assistant to the business administrator for the city.
According to city Solicitor Neil Grover, Robinson would not be the first city employee to also serve on a city board, as it is legally allowed.
However, Kurowski believes that, with the appointment of three new members at once, with one being a city employee, “optically, it’s going to be received as a takeover.” That, he said, could affect relationships with CRW stakeholders, such as PENNVEST, bondholders and governmental agencies.
Recently, the CRW board approved an amended agreement with several governmental bodies, including the state Department of Environmental Protection, the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Justice Department, over an amended, long-negotiated plan to reduce pollutants flowing into area waterways.
During the council meeting, Williams also claimed that current board members may have used their roles to benefit themselves.
“It’s time for the ones who have been serving in that capacity for personal gain to now step out and let the new ones come in,” Williams said.
Kurowski responded forcefully to Williams’ comments, asserting that CRW board members adhere to the state’s Ethics Act, which prohibits personal financial gain.
“When people want to start tossing things out, implying and impugning board members for potential wrongdoing and personal gain, they better be specific, they better have examples,” he said. “It is offensive on every single level that somebody thinks they’re going to impugn me or my colleagues who have volunteered thousands of hours at no pay.”
When asked by TheBurg what she was referencing with her comment, Williams declined to give examples.
Moving forward, city council will need to vote on the three appointments and, if approved, will need to decide which seat each candidate will fill.
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