4/10/08 Time for Rendell to get rid of Myers
Thursday, April 10, 2008

In Richard Green's April 2 letter, he referred to the "poor staff work" of Cathleen Curan Myers, Gov. Ed Rendell's surrogate on the Delaware River Basin Commission.

I am afraid that was an understatement
.
I had the unfortunate opportunity to observe Myers in action as DRBC chairperson. Her comportment conveyed oblique arrogance punctuated with constant intellectual and factual mistakes. She lowers the level of DRBC meetings to that barely of a typical third-grade classroom. At first, I thought this must be a "crowd control" or leadership technique. When I realized it was a disturbingly, consistent behavior, it became obvious it was merely poor leadership.

Myers keeps a closed mind to any point of view contrary to her own ill-conceived and poorly instituted "1983 Good Faith Agreement." When approached by the public or even her own staff with overwhelming, growing evidence that this existing, obsolete reservoir management policy is allowing New York City to consistently place down-river residents in harm's way, she emphatically states her "ghost experts" assure her this is not a problem.

Rendell without fail followed her lead, strongly denying New York City culpability -- until one week ago when he realized the Flexible Flow Management Plan is not working. It is time for Rendell to initiate a leadership change at the DRBC. The commission needs someone with much greater vision and understanding of the issues, including the real science of water management. It needs someone to hold New York City accountable. This is not Cathleen Myers

Peter C. Bousum