Despite recent controversy, City Council has recommended to reappoint Mike Gaffney to a fourth two-year term as joint chair of the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority (RWSA) and the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority (RSWA). The appointment needs the consent of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, which is likely.
“We had some very good candidates apply,” said Councilor David Brown. “We all had a feeling that [Gaffney] had done a good job” balancing the needs of both the city or the county. “I think that he has a commitment of bringing the city and county together whether on issues of water or solid waste.”
The bigger news of the evening, however, was that councilors announced that they will officially seek to add an elected representative from the city and one from the county to the water and waste boards. If the county agrees, the RWSA/RSWA board will grow from five to seven members. (For more on the board, read C-VILLE’s previous coverage here and here.)
In part because of controversy over the long-term water supply plan, six others applied for the RWSA/RSWA chair position. The most formidable other candidate was 58-year-old Mike Van Yahres, president of the Van Yahres Tree Company and son of late state Delegate Mitch Van Yahres. During his interview with city councilors last week, Van Yahres calmly talked about working in 100-year timeframes and “patriotic” conservation. The water supply plan “now appears to be complex, and I think the job for all of us is to make it simple again,” said Van Yahres during his interview.
But he also laid out an argument for why he shouldn’t get the job—that if Council thought that the process that came to the plan was good, then it should re-appoint Gaffney. He only offered himself if Council thought it best to take a fresh, objective look. Van Yahres did not offer an opinion on whether the current plan was a good one or not.