Gaffney reappointed as RWSA Chair

Mike Gaffney

The Charlottesville City Council has reappointed Mike Gaffney as chair of the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority (RWSA). Council also announced they will request an expansion of the RWSA’s Board of Directors to include one City Councilor and one County Supervisor.

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If the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors agrees as expected with the City’s selection, Gaffney will be appointed to his fourth consecutive two-year term. He was one of six candidates recently interviewed by Council for the position.

Councilor David Brown praised Gaffney for helping to make the RWSA more transparent, but said that his appointment did not mean there was a consensus on the future status of the adopted water supply plan.

Councilor Holly Edwards said that the appointment was one of the more difficult decisions she has had to make in her one year on Council. She said public input was largely divided, and that Council’s discussion led to the idea of the Board’s expansion to include elected officials on the RWSA and the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority (RSWA) which Gaffney would also continue to chair.

Councilor Julian Taliaferro called Gaffney an “honest individual” who will act in the interest of both the City and the County. Mayor Dave Norris said Gaffney’s work last year in helping the community end a solid waste dispute  was one factor that influenced his vote.

“Gaffney was very effective and spent many hours getting us back to the table and hashing out an agreement,” Norris said.  He added the more important issue involves making the board more accountable to the public through the addition of elected officials. The membership of the RWSA Board can be expanded by a concurrent resolution rather than an act of the General Assembly, according to Norris. 

The City is currently represented on the RWSA Board by City Manager Gary O’Connell and Public Works Director Judy Mueller. The County is represented by County Executive Bob Tucker and Albemarle County Service Authority Executive Director Gary Fern. The ACSA is governed by a six-member Board of Directors appointed by magisterial district by the Board of Supervisors. The City has no equivalent body to govern decisions regarding its water and sewer infrastructure since those matters are handled by the Public Works Department.

Sean Tubbs