Out in the cold?

At least three members of the Lansing City Council said they are not prepared to approve the reappointment of Anthony McCloud, the third ward representative to the Lansing Board of Water and Light. Other Council members did not respond to inquiries from City Pulse about McCloud’s reappointment, which has been tabled until Monday in order have more members present for the vote. To be reappointed, he will need to gain a simple majority approval of those present.

McCloud’s term expired June 30. When McCloud appeared before the Council’s Committee of the Whole on June 29, Councilmember Jody Washington asked him if he supported a sale of the BWL, which Bernero has called for considering.

“Well, Councilwoman Washington, I don’t know if that is a fair question for me at this point,” McCloud said. He added that he would need “a lot more information.”

At-large Councilwoman Carol Wood pushed McCloud, noting that four years ago, McCloud told the Council he would oppose privatizing the utility.

“As far as that specific question, I’m not prepared to answer that and I don’t want to be on the record on that,” he told Council.

“I didn’t appreciate his refusal to answer the question,” said Washington, the First Ward Councilwoman. Referring to open communications, she said, “He didn’t seem to have learned from what happened the last year and half.”

Washington and Carol Wood are solid no votes for the first-term commissioner. Council President A’Lynne Boles would not specify whether she was a yes or no vote. She did, however, say that she expects a successful candidate would have “an intent and desire to be transparent and communicative.”

Asked if she felt McCloud had met that standard, she said, “Absolutely not.

In the background is an ongoing battle between Bernero and the Council over who has how much control over the utility. Bernero had proposed using city money to finance an auditor general post that could oversee budget operations at BWL, but the Council rejected that proposal earlier this year.

Also at play is whether to sell BWL. Bernero said in May he will ask the Financial Health Team, under the leadership of former Mayor David Hollister. to review the option. Currently the city has millions in unfunded pensions obligations that will come due and could cause havoc on the budget. The sale of the BWL — if the price is right — could net the city enough to not only settle those obligations, but put millions into city coffers. The catch? It’s a one time influx of cash and could mean higher bill for the utility’s customers..

McCloud was one of seven members to give former General Manager Peter Lark a positive review last July — only months after a catastrophic ice storm crippled the utility’s operations. That storm left as many as 40 percent of the utility’s customers without power in subzero weather for days.

But then in January, McCloud joined four other members to dismiss Lark “for cause.” Lark filed suit challenging his firing and could have recovered nearly $1 million in salary. In May, McCloud joined a unanimous board in paying Lark $650,000 to settle the suit, which alleged the former executive was not fired for cause, but politics.

Bernero said the Council has not expressed their concerns to him about McCloud, or Ken Ross, who has been nominated to replace Cynthia Ward, who has resigned. Ross’s appointment has also been slowed down, leaving Ward’s position open. Ross said he has heard no specific concerns about his appointment, and believes council is doing “due diligence.”

As for McCloud, Bernero said he “has four years of experience, more than he had when they appointed him four years ago,” Bernero said in a phone interview. “Shouldn’t that count for something? I mean, where are we going to find utility experts in the city?”

Boles also said she has not been impressed with McCloud’s communication skills. During the ice storm crisis he did not return her calls, she said, despite that fact she was not only the Council president but also the Third Ward representative, the same ward Mccloud represents.

“During the ice storm situation, I didn’t receive any information from him,” Boles said in a phone interview. “During the Peter Lark [firing] situation, I didn’t received any information from him.”

McCloud, who works as an administrator at the Michigan Department of Corrections, did not return phone calls or an email seeking comment for this story. McCloud was appointed to his position in 2010, and has served one four-year term.

Boles said that she reached out to him during this reappointment process to arrange a meeting. He canceled a scheduled meeting, and failed to reschedule with her, she said.

Boles said “there appears to be quite a bit of concern” from the Council. McCloud will have an opportunity to address Council again on Monday, she said.

“A number of us are hopeful he will be able to offer a different attitude,” she said.