WILMINGTON — This week Executive Director Jim Flechtner announced to the CFPUA Board Executive Committee that he was seeking retirement and planned to leave his post next summer.
In an email sent Wednesday, Flechtner told the committee he had decided to retire near the end of June 2021, but that he had some flexibility and would coordinate with the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) over the next ten months.
Flechtner has worked for local utilities for over a quarter-century, starting with the City of Wilmington’s utilities department in 1994 and joining CFPUA when it was formed in 2008. In late 2013, Flechtner was named CFPUA executive director.
“Being a part of CFPUA from its formation in 2008 through our success as a high-performing utility has been the highlight of my career,” Flechtner wrote. “Working alongside CFPUA‘s 300 professionals who care about and serve our customers is an honor. They are the most talented and dedicated group of people I have ever known.”
Flechtner was at the helm when CFPUA hit its most contentious period three years ago, as the GenX story broke hard across the Cape Fear region. Revelations that CFPUA had known about GenX for a year before the StarNews reported on the chemical, but hadn’t gone public, shook public confidence in the utility, leading to an interview review of communication and transparency policies.
Several years later, the public frustrations were largely refocused on Chemours and state regulators (depending on who you ask). And, in a neat irony, CFPUA ultimately hired as its top spokesperson the former StarNews correspondent who reported the ‘“Toxin taints CFPUA drinking water” story.
More recently, Flechtner oversaw CFPUA’s development of an expanded filtration system at the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant do help remove GenX and other PFAS from the raw water in the Cape Fear River. CFPUA is also currently engaged in a federal lawsuit against Chemours to recover the cost of this expansion.
“It means a lot that, for the past seven years, the Board has supported me both professionally and personally, I am grateful for the opportunity and trust you have offered, and am proud of our shared accomplishments,” Flechtner concluded.
Flechtner’s original salary as executive director in 2013 was $152,000, not including a $400 monthly car allowance and health insurance (the latter, per his contract, will continue to cover Flechtner and his family after retirement). His current salary is $182,660.
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