The Story of Five Little Pigs on

The Story of Five Little Pigs on the BWD Board

So, upon learning that BWD was flush with cash, the board took immediate action to correct the situation. They “unanimously approved implementing an existing policy that will pay the entire cost of providing health insurance for themselves” and their dependents, amended the policy “to include domestic partners,” and stuck it to ratepayers again.

If all five directors and their significant others opt for insurance – and who wouldn’t – the total cost to ratepayers will be $$118,400.00 per year, $23,680.00 per director, at a cost to each ratepayer of $59.20 based on figures in the Sun. That is more than one quarter of the annualized monthly “Base Charge” of $19.58/month that BWD levies on rate payers and probably exceeds the aggregate cost of the tiered rate proposal that caused such a furor last year. (See Worksheet for details)

The board has created or aggravated a moral hazard that will attract the wrong people to service on the board for the wrong reasons and further degrade the quality of its “work.” Borregans who serve on other boards, committees, and groups in the community for little or no compensation should be especially outraged.

There is no difference in principle between what the BWD board has done and what Wall Street and Detroit corporate officers did. The differences are of scale, which makes board members look pathetic, and that board members have their snouts in the public trough, which makes their actions the more reprehensible.

It is no coincidence that this boondoggle was not previously discussed in public and came to light only after the November election. After all, even in Borrego someone might have noticed.

Board members' avarice is unseemly and tawdry. If they devoted half as much effort to guaranteeing a sustainable water supply for Borrego as they do to feathering their own nests, they might actually accomplish something. Yeah, that’ll happen.

01/08/09