The Suffolk County Legislature at a meeting on Tuesday voted 18-0 to reappoint Jane Devine to a third term on the Suffolk County Water Authority Board.
"We’re delighted that the Legislature reappointed Jane Devine unanimously," said SCWA Board Chairman James F. Gaughran. "Since the very beginning of her tenure as a Board member, Jane has made the protection of the Suffolk County Water Authority ratepayer her top priority."
"Jane Devine is a wonderful asset to the Suffolk County Water Authority, and it was truly a privilege to sponsor the resolution to reappoint her to another term on the Board," said Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory. "With high-level experience at many levels of local government and her advocacy as an involved community member, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the position and has served the Board well."
"We are very fortunate to have someone like Jane Devine serving on the Suffolk County Water Authority Board," said Suffolk County Legislator William Spencer, who co-sponsored the bill to reappoint Devine. "Jane brings her years of experience as a former legislator and community leader to the position and the consumers will continue to be well served by her reappointment to the Board."
Devine, a Suffolk County legislator from 1978 through 1987, has a long and distinguished career in public service. Currently serving as vice-chair of the Huntington Town Planning Board, Devine has also served as commissioner of the Consumer Affairs department of Suffolk County, a member of Huntington Town’s Consumer Protection Board and as consultant to the New York
State Consumer Protection Board. Among other achievements, in 2015, Devine became a founding member and president of the Board of New Hour for Women and Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women and their children while the women are incarcerated and helping the women integrate back into their community once they are released.
Shortly after beginning her tenure on the Board in 2007, Devine co-authored a series of reform measures that have made SCWA more efficient, transparent, and accountable than ever before. In 2007, Devine and fellow Board members Patrick Halpin and Michael Deering authored resolutions that eliminated free medical, dental and optical benefits for Board members; eliminated the use of official SCWA vehicles by members of the Board; eliminated the use of SCWA credit cards by members of the Board and certain personnel; ordered a review of the usage and costs associated with providing SCWA vehicles to certain employees for commuting and other purposes; ordered the installation of GPS technology in all SCWA vehicles; and required that the SCWA seal be permanently and prominently affixed to all SCWA vehicles.
Additional resolutions required the prominent posting of Board meeting agendas and meetings on the SCWA website to ensure transparency; submittal of monthly financial reports to Board members and the subsequent posting of such reports on the SCWA website; development of annual organizational goals and objectives and regular updates to be submitted to Board members; and posting of SCWA employment opportunities prominently on the website.
Always on the lookout as a Board member for ways to cut costs, Devine recently co-authored resolutions calling for a hiring freeze for non-essential employees and directing departments to seek ways to cut 10% from their operating budgets.
"I am very grateful to have the opportunity to continue serving the public as a Suffolk County Water Authority Board member," said Devine. "I look forward to continuing to look for every possible way to keep water rates low while also making sure we provide high quality drinking water to Suffolk residents."
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.