NEW HANOVER COUNTY — The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority Board elected a new chairman this month.
Mike Brown, who has served as Chairman of CFPUA’s board since 2016, will not serve a third and final third year. Instead, he will take up a new position as treasurer. William “Bill” Norris will be the new chair.
Brown has served on the CFPUA board since 2010, replacing New Hanover County Commissioner Patricia Kusek as chair two years ago.
Brown’s time as chair was marked most notably by the Gen-X crisis. Shortly after it became widespread public knowledge that the potentially toxic chemical could not be filtered by CFPUA’s drinking water system, it was revealed that CFPUA had known about the contamination for over a year.
Brown and CFPUA Executive Director Jim Fletcher faced intense scrutiny, both from the media and local government, for their roles in handling the Gen-X issue. Brown ultimately issued a statement, acknowledging public outcry and initiating an internal review of CFPUA’s communication policies.
According to minutes of the July 11 meeting, “Ms. Kusek thanked Mr. Brown for his service as Chair and his grace under pressure. Mr. Brown said that it had been his honor to serve as Chair, and he commended CFPUA staff members on their character and integrity. Mr. Norris moved into the Chair’s seat and thanked Mr. Brown for his service.”
The new CFPUA board officers for the 2018-2019 fiscal year are:
- Bill Norris, Chair
- Wes Corder, Vice-Chair
- Jennifer Adams, Secretary
- Mike Brown, Treasurer
The CFPUA board also saw some changes to its committees. In June, Kusek left the finance committee for the communications committee, creating a vacancy. According to CFPUA Spokesperson Peg Hall-Williams, that Board expects to fill that vacancy soon.
