Otay Water District Appoints Mitch Thompson To Board Of Directors

The Otay Water District made the following announcement on May 2, 2012:

Board of Directors unanimously voted to appoint Mitch Thompson to fill the vacancy that resulted from the . Following the vote by the Board of Directors, the Oath of Office was administered and Mr. Thompson immediately assumed all powers and duties of a member of the Board of Directors.

Director Thompson will represent Division 2, which encompasses Otay Mesa, as well as the Sunbow, Rancho Del Rey and Otay communities of the city of Chula Vista, for the remaining eight months of the seat’s term.

“I have an interest in serving the public and giving back what I can to this great community,” said Director Thompson. “I am honored to have the opportunity to contribute to the sound decision making of the District for the benefit of its ratepayers and I am dedicated to continuing the District’s commitment to customer service.”

Four candidates applied for the position on the board. After the Board of Directors reviewed each applicant’s qualifications and background, the board proceeded with open interviews during the regularly scheduled meeting. Each candidate was asked the same set of questions in front of the meeting attendees. A nomination was made shortly after the interviews concluded. The four candidates interviewed by the board included Thompson, David W. Kough, Brian Lightbody, and Eduardo Reyes.

“We could not have hoped for a more qualified pool of applicants and we are very encouraged by the desire for such competent citizens to serve our District’s ratepayers in such a capacity,” said Board President Jose Lopez. “Mr. Thompson is very familiar with the community he will be serving and has proven to be extremely effective in the positions that he has served in the past. We are confident that he will make a great addition to our board.”

Mitch Thompson, of Thompson Consulting and resident of Chula Vista, has worked in the housing and banking industry for more than 30 years and believes in using his years of experience to make a positive difference in his community, particularly in the fields of redevelopment and community and economic development. Thompson was formerly appointed to the Chula Vista City Council and has also served on the city’s Planning Commission and Public Safety Subcommittee.

The five-member Board of Directors is the governing body of the District and is responsible for setting rates for service, taxes, policies, ordinances, adopting the annual budget and other matters related to the management and operation of the water agency.  Each director is elected by voters within one of five divisions to represent the public's interest on the board.  Directors serve four-year terms in office.

Otay Water District is a public agency providing water, wastewater and recycled water service to more than 208,000 customers within approximately 125 square miles of southeastern San Diego County.  Customers served by the District include those in Spring Valley, La Presa, Rancho San Diego, Jamul, communities in eastern Chula Vista and Otay Mesa.  For more information about the District, please visit www.otaywater.gov.