At a recent meeting of the Water Authority of Western Nassau County (WAWNC), formerly the Jamaica Water Supply Company, the board announced its decision to make the water authority's paid attorney an officer. He will now assume the role of secretary to the board, a position that became vacant six months ago when voting board member, Frances Kayne, the Hempstead representative, resigned.

The unfairness of the situation is highlighted by the fact that a voting board member, Marianna Wohlgemuth, a North Hempstead representative from New Hyde Park, is interested, willing and offered her name for consideration for the position. Unfortunately, the reasons for selecting the paid employee over Mrs. Wohlgemuth will never be known as the discussion took place in executive session, not before the public, under the guise of discussing "personnel."

Consequently, one can only wonder why the WAWNC board members would prefer that all officers be non-board members. It is without logic when you consider that the members of the board are accountable for any wrong doing, error omission made by any of its three officers.

The point is this, if you are responsible for all actions, wouldn't it be in your best interest to control your fate? These well-intentioned volunteers who are board members, are appointed by their villages and towns and should serve as the officers of the public entity. It makes perfect and clear sense.

Instead, you have the chairman of the board as the director of the WAWNC at $62,250 per annum as a part time employee; the treasurer of the WAWNC serving as the superintendent and overall manager at $108, 938 and now the attorney serving as the secretary at a salary of $85,000 a year, part time employment. These figures do not include the cost associated with medical, dental, optical, disability, plus long and short term base life premium, AD&D, retirement, NYS Group life insurance, applicable vehicle and meal allowance.

The obvious question is why did the board members vote, except Mrs. Wohlgemuth, to change the current composition of the board? Wohlgemuth would certainly have been diligent with this responsibility and would have served well, so why? Having attended the meeting, I felt it necessary to ask and the response from the chairman was that it was the will and desire of the board.

Could it be possible that the board is so fickle in its deliberation that it changed its mind from just a mere six months earlier when Ms. Kayne served? Or was the decision based purely on the political make of the town board? (The writer, of this open message, is a founding member and former treasurer of the Waterbill Watchdogs, the group responsible, due to its persistence, for the demise of Jamaica Water Supply. She is a former board member of the Western Water Authority and a sister of Marianna Wohlgemuth.)