Management
Commissioners:
David R. Brackett, Chairman
Peter Meyer, Secretary
Mindy Germain, Treasurer
Superintendent
Italo J. Vacchio
Managing the Business of Supplying Your Water…the Role of the Commissioners.
The objective of this section is to provide a little insight into the efforts of the Board of Commissioners and what they do to insure the Port Washington Water District runs efficiently and in a business like manner.
This is not about the hours they devote, the studying required, attending various meetings or their research into a host of financial and legal issues, it is about perspective, civic responsibility and focus.
These are the items that distinguish our District Board: local interest, local responsibility and focus.
From a perspective standpoint, each of the PWWD Commissioners comes from a different occupation and each brings important management views and techniques to the District and, each has a real dedication to the subject of water and its importance to the community.
Local responsibility is what it sounds like. It is a neighbor-to-neighbor situation, and if a commissioner does not meet the expectations of the community, he or she can be voted out of office…not by an anonymous mass but by local residents.
This, of course, is where the word “Focus” really comes into play. The Port Washington Water District, like some 20 others on Long Island, has just one product to produce and deliver to your satisfaction. Every dollar you pay in water rates and taxes is dedicated to capital improvements and to the operations and maintenance of the District. It does not go into a general county, or town fund where it can be diverted for other needs or programs.
PWWD has qualified water plant and operations personnel who perform the technical duties associated with the delivery of quality water. Your Board of Commissioners’ duties include the other half of the equation… they focus on the financial/operations side of the effort providing fiscal control, oversight and consultancy. The bottom line is that they live, work and pay taxes locally, so, when they require two board members to sign every check the District issues and a Board approval on every expenditure, it’s worth it, it is your Port Washington Water District.
