Monday afternoon, the board for Central Alabama Water convened to take up a few administrative tasks, namely closing unused bank accounts and adding the newly hired chief executive officer to other accounts. After months of social media messages, jabs in the press, and even a lawsuit, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin made an appearance at the meeting to address the board.
"I figured I'd come talk to you all in person," he explained. "Because, you know, because my emails fall on deaf ears with no response. The letter I've written you all has received no response. So I figured I'd come here in person."
"There's been a bill for, I don't know, well over 10 years to take over the water works system. Every year, it failed, and it finally passed last year. For reasons unknown," he added, though he himself has called out the board's decades of mismanagement.
In his short remarks, Woodfin questioned the CEO's actions, namely his decision to put all senior managers on paid leave and to implement a holiday blackout that prevents water works staff from taking vacation time during the holidays.
"I'm not sure how y'all do it in Shelby County, Blount County, St. Clair County. But the behavior, the integrity, is more than questionable, and the rate payers deserve better. The employees deserve better," Woodfin said.
"On behalf of rate payers, on behalf of the employees, we're ready to organize ourselves if board members refuse to be responsive to us. Because the behavior is unacceptable at this point," Woodfin said, seemingly ignoring all the waste, fraud and abuse that the new board has caught in recent months, as well as the waste, fraud and abuse from previous years.
The current board discovered contracts for tens of thousands of dollars for groups that provided no direct benefit to ratepayers. It also found cost savings with other vendors, including their communications company.
RELATED: Central Alabama Water cuts monthly contract for $35,000 to Birmingham Business Resource Center
It found several instances of theft, including millions in copper and procurement that took place under the previous board that Woodfin defended.
RELATED: Central Alabama Water refers additional thefts to Birmingham Police Department
ALSO RELATED: Recently appointed Birmingham Water Works Board reveals nearly $2 million in copper pipe theft under investigation by BPD
In 2019, Attorney General Steve Marshall and the Birmingham Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the conviction of Sherry Lewis, now former chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Birmingham Water Works, for two felony counts of violating the state ethics law.
According to a press release at the time, "Prosecutors presented evidence that Lewis obtained three jobs for her son through various subcontractors. Evidence also showed that Lewis and members of her family accepted meals and entertainment, including tickets to the 2015 Cotton Bowl, from Arcadis Vice President Jerry Jones, even after State law changed in 2015 to clearly prohibit such conduct. Evidence also revealed that Arcadis is currently attempting to repay hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Birmingham Water Works Board, based on information relating to the investigation."
Jerry Jones, former vice president of Arcadis, and Terry Williams, owner of Global Solutions International, both pleaded guilty to charges.
Woodfin would have his supporters believe things are and have been going swimmingly before the legislature took over, despite all the evidence to the contrary.
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