Bielarski fires two members of GRU’s leadership team, eliminates role focused on sustainability

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a memo sent to all Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) employees on June 20, Interim CEO Ed Bielarski announced significant organizational changes, including the termination of two members of GRU’s leadership team and the elimination of a role that was created to support the City Commission’s sustainability goals.

Chief Sustainability and Reliance Officer

Bielarski announced that he had eliminated the Chief Sustainability and Reliance Officer position formerly held by Eric Walters and reorganized the Office of Sustainability and Reliance as Operational Planning and Support. The new department will report to Tom Brown, who will “review the work of this department to ensure efficiencies, productivity and compliance with state law.”

The department was created after a joint meeting of the Gainesville City Commission and Utility Advisory Board on October 26, 2021; UAB Member Wendell Porter was openly skeptical that Bielarski, who was then the General Manager of GRU, would support a new Climate Change Officer position that both boards had requested. Porter asked Bielarski, “You’ve been at loggerheads several times on this issue of climate change with us, and now this person’s going to be working for you? Give me a warm and fuzzy that that’s not going to be a real contentious thing that doesn’t go anywhere.”

Although the position and department were created, the perception that Bielarski didn’t fully support the City Commission’s goal of zero greenhouse gases by 2045 was a factor in then-City Commissioner Harvey Ward’s motion to fire Bielarski on January 27, 2022. At that meeting, Ward said, “Missing the [100% renewable energy by 2045] goal is unacceptable… I move now that we terminate Mr. Bielarski’s contract immediately.” Bielarski was fired by a vote of 4-2 .

Chief Telecommunications Officer

Bielarski has also eliminated the Chief Telecommunications Officer position formerly held by Lewis Walton. GRUCom will report to Chief Information Officer Walter Banks, who will “spent the next several months evaluating how GRUCom can best serve the utility.”

Chief Operating Officer

Unlike Walters and Walton, who were fired, Chief Operating Officer Brett Goodman will “return to the Water/Wastewater Department in a different role and continue to make valuable contributions to our organization.”

“Becoming the utility our community can afford”

Bielarski wrote that the changes align with his mission of “becoming the utility our community can afford” and called the changes “difficult but necessary.” He thanked the terminated employees for their decades of service to GRU and wished them the best in their future endeavors. He wrote that he would continue to make changes as necessary and that he expects GRU to “absorb these changes and embrace them as a driving force to better serve our community.”

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