The Prince George’s County Council removed a county representative to the board of Maryland’s largest water utility Tuesday after county leaders said they had lost confidence in his ability to lead and communicate.
The unusual decision came as WSSC Water’s board has scrutinized the utility’s billing system, which has tripled in cost, from $40 million to $120 million. The ousted commissioner, Keith E. Bell, had led the board’s recent questioning of why utility leaders had procured the system without seeking competitive bids and how they have managed its soaring costs since.
In a 9-1 vote, council members supported County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks’s (D) call to remove Bell after county officials said Bell improperly meddled in personnel matters and the utility’s daily operations. Bell told the council that he had tried to protect rate payers, saying, “When I see waste and impropriety, or what appears to be impropriety, I have to say something.”
Several council members said they didn’t fully understand the billing system’s cost increases or the source of tensions between Bell and the utility’s outgoing general manager, Carla A. Reid. However, they said they agreed with Alsobrooks that WSSC Water needed a “clean slate,” especially as the utility is seeking a new general manager and bond-rating agencies eye its financial stability.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Katherine Shaver over at The Washington Post
