Former GRU GM Ed Bielarski selected as Chair of the second GRU Authority

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At the organizational meeting of the new GRU Authority on May 23, the Authority selected former GRU General Manager Ed Bielarski as its Chair and businessman David Haslam as Vice Chair.

After City Clerk Kristen Bryant administered the oath of office to all five members of the Authority, the board members introduced themselves.

Chip Skinner

Chip Skinner said he’s lived in Gainesville since 1987, graduated from the University of Florida in 1992, moved to central Florida for a short time, then came back to Gainesville. He worked for a subsidiary of the Florida Department of Transportation, “so I have vast knowledge when it comes to the utilities’ right of way and construction issues that they encounter a lot on the roadways.” He was also the Public Information Officer for Public Works, RTS, and General Government at the City of Gainesville. He currently runs a nonprofit lacrosse organization and is a freelance consultant in communications.

Ed Bielarski

Ed Bielarski is a former General Manager of GRU and earned his BA in Accounting from Loyola University and his MBA from St. Joseph University. He said he’s worked in Controller/CFO roles in private organizations and got into the utility business about 30 years ago. He became General Manager of GRU in 2015 and was fired by the City Commission in 2022 . He concluded, “I know a lot about the utility, understand a lot about its issues, and I think made it a better place.”

Craig Carter

Craig Carter is a former Gainesville City Commissioner and was a member of the original GRU Authority. He said he wanted to address his previous comment that he would not come back to the board; at the time, he said, his son had been in a serious accident, his wife thought she would need to go to Germany to support their son, and he had responsibilities at work. He said that since then, he has learned that his son will not require surgery, and he hired an employee in his office. He continued, “About a week before I got appointed, more and more conversations happened with Tallahassee, my wife, and my family, so I agreed to come back.”

Eric Lawson

Eric Lawson said he has been in healthcare for 35 years and has been in executive leadership for 30 years. He is a former CPA and worked for many years as a Chief Financial Officer. He now serves as the Chief Executive Officer at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital. He concluded, “It was an honor to serve the first time, and I’m certainly really excited to be able to rejoin the board and continue the work that we started.”

David Haslam

David Haslam said he came to Gainesville in 2007 at the age of 23, after he got out of the Air Force. He said he has owned and operated several businesses since 2007, and he has owned his current business, Campus Scooters, for about 15 years. He said he sold all his previous businesses and that all of them were profitable and had zero debt when he sold them.

Election of Chair and Vice Chair

When the clerk asked for nominations, Carter immediately nominated Lawson for Chair, then Haslam nominated Bielarski and Skinner seconded the nomination of Bielarski. The vote to select Bielarski as Chair was unanimous.

Carter then nominated Lawson as Vice Chair, and Skinner nominated Haslam. Bielarski seconded the nomination of Haslam, and Haslam was unanimously selected as Vice Chair.

Chair comments

Bielarski’s presentation can be viewed here.

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