An article appeared in Newsday last week, titled "Floating His Loan" in which Great Neck North Water Authority's superintendent, Robert Graziano's compensation package was dissected. Speaking on behalf of the water authority's board, Edward Causin, the mayor of Great Neck Estates, said, "I think that once all of the facts of the situation are made clear, the public will understand that nothing improper, scandalous or embarrassing has occurred." Mayor Causin emphasized that the role of the superintendent in the water industry is extremely demanding, complex and important. "Let's remember," he said, "we're talking about the public's health and a vital service, our water supply. Bob Graziano is a highly experienced, well known, top-of-the-line professional... By the way, he has never pressured us for more money or benefits. We just know we want to keep him happy and working for us."

Water management is a highly specialized field. According to Paul Granger, superintendent of the Plainview water district and past president of the Long Island Water Conference, there is no specific degree in water management. Some water industry managers have civil engineering backgrounds or may have a degree in hydrogeology, but 80 percent of the water superintendents on Long Island began working for water districts as laborers and worked their way to the top, via on the job training. Mr. Granger says, "Hydrogeology is just one part of the puzzle. After you pump the water up you have to know what to do with it. You have to be a jack-of-all-trades. You must be knowledgeable in water chemistry, electrical systems, mechanical systems, facile with computer systems, able to manage staff, cope with increasing government regulations and work with your board of directors. It's hard to find qualified people. The superintendent's job here at Plainview was vacant for a year."

The New York State office of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) does not have figures on salary ranges for superintendents nor does the Long Island Water Conference have a study on salaries, but no professionals we spoke with expressed surprise at six figure numbers. In an ad posted on the national AWWA website, a superintendent for the Sacramento suburban water district in California is being sought in the low $100,000 range.

Timothy Doyle, superintendent at the Carle Place Water District and current president of the Long Island Water Conference notes that each water district is unique with specialized needs and problems, which have been complicated by increased security requirements.

The New York State Legislature established the Water Authority of Great Neck North in 1985 as a public benefit corporation. In December 1989, the water authority purchased the assets of the Citizens Water Supply Company, which was a private for-profit business. Its catchment area is generally north of the Long Island Rail Road's tracks and it serves between 40,000 and 50,000 people. The authority has 10 wells and 113 miles of pipes.

The water authority board is composed of elected representatives from the seven villages served and a representative from the unincorporated areas. They are: Mayor Robert Stern of Thomaston; Mayor Leonard Samansky of the Village of Saddle Rock; Mayor Stephen Falk of the Village of Great Neck; Mayor Bonnie Golub of Kensington; Mayor Jean Celender of the Village of Great Neck Plaza. Shirley Siegal represents the Town of North Hempstead and chairperson Michael Kalnick, mayor of Kings Point, was unavailable for comment as he is vacationing out of the country. The mayors' votes are weighted based on the population of their respective villages; however, in regard to the benefits package for Mr. Graziano, the vote was unanimous.

Steve Limmer, of the law firm of Ackerman Levine Cullen & Brickman, represents the water authority. He says, "What people sometimes forget is that the Citizens Water Company was a dilapidated system when it was taken over. Remember the photo on the front page of the Record with someone holding up a rusty pipe that was indicative of the whole system? What was a fragile system has now become a stellar example of what a water company should be." Paul Granger concurs. At the time of the takeover in 1989, he was working for an engineering firm that consulted with the newly formed authority. He says, "The Citizens system was horrendous. Professionals who are aware of what the authority took over are highly respectful of what Bob has done to turn it around."

Perhaps the revelation that Mr. Graziano's son, Greg, is in the second in command position raised a few eyebrows in Great Neck. Some people speaking off the record questioned not the legality but the wisdom of hiring two family members. Mayor Causin responds, "This was not a situation of making a job for Bob's son. Greg went to work for the water authority as a laborer and when this position opened up, he qualified under Civil Service standards for the job. We are very pleased with his performance. As a matter of fact, we have learned that quite a few water companies pay a higher salary for this position."

Bob Graziano says that he discussed the full-time, always on call, second in command position with two employees whom he felt would be qualified to take on the responsibility. According to him, they were not interested in leaving their union jobs and joining management. When the civil service test was given for the job, six people signed up to take the test. One dropped out of the test midway and of the five people remaining, two were Mr. Graziano's sons, Greg and Chris. Steve Limmer says, "Just as doctors and lawyers are role models for their children, who sometimes follow in their footsteps, so have Bob's sons been inspired by him to go into the water industry. But people should understand that there is a limited pool of qualified people for these highly specialized jobs."

Mayor Causin also commented on the propriety of the loan that the authority made to Mr. Graziano to purchase a house on Long Island. He said, "We were in agreement that we wanted Bob to move to the Island from Westchester. It was a secured loan and in the end it worked out well for everyone. Bob got the loan at an interest rate lower than he would have received at the bank and we got a higher return than we would have in an interest bearing account. We saw and still see that decision as win-win." A few water districts actually provide housing for their superintendents. In addition, he added that since 9-11, the need to have Mr. Graziano within closer driving range became even more critical.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Nassau County Health Department and the federal Environmental Protection Agency regulate the water authority. According to Lou DiGuardia of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 2 office, "Great Neck North has one of the best water supply systems I've seen anywhere." He has 20 years of experience in groundwater and Super Fund clean-up projects and says, "A clean-up like the Stanton Cleaner situation usually takes between 10 and 15 years, but because of the high level of cooperation and professionalism of the water authority, the time is being cut in half."

Shirley Siegal, a local environmentalist who represents the unincorporated areas in town on the water authority and has been very involved in the Stanton Cleaner issue says, "What was not highlighted in the Newsday article is that Bob is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is a very demanding job."

Town supervisor, May Newburger said, "People should stop and think. Where are the complaints about the compensation package coming from? In 12 years, there have been five grievances filed against the water authority. Three of those five came from the same disgruntled employee who was interviewed for the story. Doesn't that tell you something?"

Paul Granger says, "In America, we take water for granted, but once you travel to other countries, you become aware of the health risks of unregulated water." Every Drop for Sale written by Jeffrey Rothfeder, national editor at Bloomberg News, examines the worldwide water crisis in depth. Mr. Rothfeder writes, "Lima, Peru, for instance, gets a plentiful supply of water from the Amazon as well as runoff from the Andes, yet its residents pay up to $2, in many cases, more than half of their daily salary for 500 liters of often-contaminated water. By contrast, each resident of the United States and Canada uses at least that amount of clean water per day, and the percentage of their salaries used to pay for it is so negligible that most people in those countries don't know how much water costs them."