City council to offer compromise to keep a voice on PWSA board
Pittsburgh council would keep a seat on the city water board under a compromise being introduced Wednesday.
A plan advanced by Mayor Bill Peduto’s office would have cut a councilheld board seat at the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, where the administration is trying to overhaul governance. An advisory panel last year recommended the city avoid undue political influence at PWSA, in part by reworking its board and keeping the mayor — and council — from selecting future appointees.
But council members chafed at being locked out, arguing their role fosters transparency and accountability. Council has long confirmed board appointees at the municipal authority following nominations from the mayor. One of seven PWSA board seats is reserved for a council member.
“Why do we have council members [across] the whole city? It’s to be the voice of the people,” Councilwoman Darlene Harris said Tuesday.
Under council’s counterproposal to the administration, a council member would hold one of nine seats on a reworked PWSA directors board. A nominators board — an idea supported by Mr. Peduto — would pick nominees for the directors board, which would maintain operational oversight.
The mayor and council would need to affirm the nominations, according to the plan. The approach would continue to follow legal standards for municipal governance, Councilman Ricky Burgess said.
Council also wants to eliminate an option that could let PWSA buy the water infrastructure from the city government as early as 2025. PWSA operates the system under a long-term city lease.
Dropping the purchase option would help ensure PWSA isn’t privatized, council members said. That protection follows widespread public sentiment, said Councilwoman Deborah Gross, who also serves on the PWSA board.
In Mr. Peduto’s office, chief of staff Dan Gilman said the mayor “has been abundantly clear throughout this entire process that he does not support” privatizing the water system’s ownership. The administration is willing to accept a designated council seat on the PWSA board as part of a comprehensive compromise, Mr. Gilman said.
“That’s how government works. You can’t always hold a position so strongly that you’re unwilling to work with others,” he said.
Other proposed protections, including a ban on additional city employees in PWSA board seats, would guard “the independence and the professionalization of the board,” Mr. Gilman said. Council is planning a public hearing on the utility’s future governance; a date has yet to be announced.
Analysts found political influence contributed to longtime problems at PWSA, now faced with deteriorated infrastructure and heavy debt. The authority came under state oversight last month as its executive leadership accelerates restoration and maintenance projects.