Former Congressman Tim Bishop and SCWA Chairman James F. Gaughran were sworn-in for their repective terms on the SCWA Board, Tuesday.
Bishop was appointed to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Errol Toulon Jr. to become Suffolk County Sheriff at the beginning of the year. His term expires in 2020. Gaughran, who has been a member of the Board since 2008 and chairman since 2010, was appointed to a third term that will expire in 2023.
New SCWA Board Member Tim Bishop signs the Oath of Office
"SCWA and the 1.2 million customers it serves will benefit greatly from the appointment of Tim Bishop to the Board and the reappointment of Jim Gaughran as chairman," said SCWA Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey W. Szabo. "I look forward to working with them both as we plan for a future at SCWA that is even more successful than our past."
Bishop, of Southampton, served from 2003-2015 as representative for New York’s 1st congressional district. As a congressman, Bishop served on the Education and Workforce Committee and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He supported the Affordable Care Act, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, the Housing and Economic Recovery Act, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (TARP) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. He also sponsored legislation that blocked a plan to dump twenty million cubic yards of contaminated dredge waste in the Long Island Sound.
SCWA Chairman James F. Gaughran signs the Oath of Office
Prior to his service in the House of Representatives, Bishop served as provost of Southampton College for 16 years. As provost, Bishop served as chief executive officer in charge of the campus’s day-to-day management. During his tenure at the college, Bishop oversaw the addition
of four graduate programs, construction of a new academic center and development of the award-winning Cooperative Education and Freshman Programs. Since leaving the House, Bishop has served as Director of the Center for Community Solutions and visiting professor at St. Joseph’s College.
"I’m delighted to be appointed to the SCWA Board," Bishop said. "Access to safe, clean drinking water is absolutely essential to public health. Serving on the Board will allow me to continue to work on the water-related environmental quality and public health issues that were so important to me as a member of Congress."
During Gaughran’s tenure, SCWA successfully met substantial fiscal challenges resulting from the economic collapse of 2008, including spiraling upward costs of employee pensions and health care costs. Today, as a result, SCWA is one of only a small number of public water suppliers with two AAA bond ratings.
"I’m honored to continue as chairman and return for a third term on the SCWA Board,"
Gaughran said. "During my tenure, we’ve seen great success at SCWA thanks to the great work of our hardworking employees."
The Suffolk County Water Authority is an independent public-benefit corporation operating under the authority of the Public Authorities Law of the State of New York. Serving approximately 1.2 million Suffolk County residents, the Authority operates without taxing power on a not-for-profit basis.
The SCWA Board (from left) Mario Mattera, James Gaughran, Jane Devine, Tim Bishop and Patrick Halpin.