The New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board (SWBNO) has a new director, and he comes amid a busy time for the agency.
Members of the utility’s board voted 4-3 to pick Randy Hayman during a special meeting on Wednesday. Hayman, a former lawyer, will leave his job as the head of Philadelphia’s water department in the coming weeks to take the helm of New Orleans’ main water utility.
According to city documents, Hayman will receive a salary of $477,000. He’ll be in charge of a number of important projects. This year, SWBNO is opening a new power complex and launching an effort to replace lead pipes around the city.
In a statement, the search committee said Hayman has a long track record of improving customer service and water service reliability at Philadelphia’s Water Department, which, like SWBNO, supplies drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services.
“Randy Hayman’s outstanding leadership in prioritizing customer service and essential services exemplifies the executive director we were seeking,” said Chadrick Kennedy, co-chair of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Executive Director search.
According to a statement from the city, over his six years in office, Hayman helped Philadelphia launch major pollution reduction programs and led a $100 million initiative to provide all homes in Philadelphia with smart meter technology – a similar effort to New Orleans’ ongoing smart metering program.
In a statement, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Hayman’s appointment comes at a “critical time” for the utility as it nears completion of a new multi-million dollar power complex designed to prevent the consistent pump failures that happen during storms.
“We’ve planted seeds that will bring trust and accountability to our customers,” Cantrell said. “Now it’s time to deliver on that promise.”
As of this publication, Hayman did not respond to an email from WWNO. His official start date should be announced in the coming weeks.
