NEW ORLEANS (Louisiana Illuminator) — The full roster has been completed for a task force that will look into the troubles of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans. Gov. Jeff Landry announced its formation this week and has already picked its chairman and his four appointees.
Three members of the governor’s cabinet will also sit on the panel that will examine the operations of the utility that handles the city’s drainage, drinking water and sewage treatment systems.
The governor has chosen Paul Rainwater, who briefly served as an emergency interim leader of the Sewerage and Water Board, as chair of the task force. He took charge of the utility after drainage issues and power failures compounded torrential rainfall in August 2017 and caused widespread flooding in New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Rainwater was placed in charge of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, which handled the allocation of federal recovery money in the state.
Landry’s other appointments are New Orleans real estate investor Ryan Berger, Metairie accountant William Vanderbrook and New Orleans information technology business owner Lynes “Poco” Sloss.
Of the three, Sloss has the most familiarity with the Sewerage and Water Board, having served as one of its directors.
Members of Landry’s cabinet who will be on the task force are Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Joe Donahue, Environmental Quality Secretary Aurelia Giacometto and Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Chairman Gordon Dove.
The remaining seat holders were announced Friday, each representing agencies and organization the governor chose for the task force:
- Jefferson Parish Public Works Director Mark Drewes
- American Council of Engineering Companies of Louisiana Chairman Nathan Junius Louisiana Associated General Contractors CEO Ken Naquin
- Louisiana Engineering Society President Byron Racca
- Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region Chairman Paul Flower
- GNO Inc. President and CEO Michael Hecht
- New Orleans & Co. President and CEO Walter Leger III
The task force has scheduled three public meetings, all at University Medical Center’s first floor conference room.
The first meeting will be held at the University Medical Center New Orleans from 4-7 p.m. Thursday. An agenda will be posted this weekend, according to the governor’s office
The second meeting, at 4 p.m. March 14, will be exclusively devoted to accepting public comment on suggested solutions.
The third meeting is scheduled for 1o a.m. March 21.
The governor’s task force is not empowered to make policy changes. It is expected to compile a report with recommendations that could lead to action from the governor, legislators or the Sewerage and Water Board itself.
The Sewerage and Water Board is technically a state agency, founded 125 years ago by the Legislature. The New Orleans mayor serves as chairman of the utility’s board of directors, which includes a representative of the City Council.
Noticeably missing from the task force are representatives from the mayor’s office and council.
By Greg LaRose
