Mayor Bill Peduto nominated three people to fill vacant positions on the board of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority Friday — two of whom are Pitt professors.
The nominees will fill spots left by three board members, who resigned in late March after their terms officially expired in December. A March 22 release from the Mayor’s office said Peduto “extended invitations to proposed new board members, and expects announcements this week.”
Peduto didn’t make an announcement until Friday, one month later, when he nominated Debbie Lestitian, Chaton Turner and Jim Turner to the PWSA board, subject to approval by City Council.
The nominees include two Pitt professors — Jim Turner, who has previously served as the City’s budget director, finance director and Chief Administrative Officer and is now an adjunct professor at the Pitt Graduate School of Public and International Affairs — and Chaton Turner who is an adjunct professor at Pitt Law School and a UPMC lawyer.
Lestitian, Peduto’s Chief Administration Officer and Personnel Director, is the third nominee. She has more than 20 years of experience business, law and public service, according to the city’s press release.
In a press release Friday, Peduto said he wished to extend his gratitude to the nominees, who will be facing several challenges if confirmed as PWSA board members.
“There is a great amount of work ahead, and they will help us accomplish all we need to do,” he said.
PWSA discovered dangerously high lead levels in the city’s water last July after the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection ordered the PWSA to run tests. Ten percent of homes tested had lead levels of over 22 parts per billion, well over the 15 parts per billion action level required by federal law.
Peduto announced a $1 million investment to provide lead filters to Pittsburgh homes affected by high lead levels. The city has yet to announce a time frame for distributing the filters.
Jim Turner said he has been following the city’s issues publicly, and hopes to come up with positive solutions for them using his experience in financial analysis if he is confirmed for the board.
He doesn’t have any solid plans yet for what he will do if he’s becomes a board member — first wishes to learn more about his new role and the problems he will be working to address.
“I want to go in with an open mind and learn as much as I can before I begin addressing any problems,” he said. “I don’t want to just jump to conclusions on how a problem should be solved.”
Chaton Turner also said she also does not have any plans immediately in mind for what to do if she is confirmed, as she also plans to first learn more about the problems her new job will require her to address.
“If and when I start, I want to dive deeper into the challenges PWSA is facing from an internal perspective to understand the issues before I identify specific solutions,” she said.
Chaton Turner believes her work as an attorney will aid in her in what she will do as a PWSA board member.
“Everyday I analyze complex problems and find solutions for them as a part of my job,” she said. “I’m in a unique position now to do that for my community.”
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