RWS Board of Directors Elects New Officers for 2005-06

Revamped, nine-member Executive Committee with 'district' representatives also named

PORTLAND, Maine – The Board of Regional Waste Systems has elected officers for the 2005-06 fiscal year and also has named a nine-member Executive Committee as part of an organizational restructuring aimed at improving operations.

The slate of officers who will lead the 28-member RWS Board are: Jeffrey K. Jordan of South Portland as chairman; Anthony T. Plante of Windham as vice chairman; Duane Kline of Portland as treasurer; and Susan McGinty of Cumberland as secretary.

The four officers also will lead the Board’s newly created nine-member Executive Committee. The Board earlier this year overwhelmingly approved major structural changes that will streamline decision making and improve efficiency of the non-profit solid waste management corporation owned by 21 Maine communities.

One change called for reducing the Executive Committee from 14 to nine members and including “district” representatives to ensure all communities are represented. Committee members and their areas of representation:

Portland: Duane Kline
Portland: James Cloutier
South Portland: Jeffrey Jordan
Scarborough: Ronald Owens
Dist. 1 (Bridgton, Harrison, Casco, Gray): David Morton
Dist. 2 (Limington, Hollis, Waterboro, Lyman, Ogunquit: Len VanGaasbeek
Dist. 3 (Windham, Gorham): Anthony Plante
Dist. 4 (Pownal, Yarmouth, N. Yarmouth, Cumberland, Freeport): Susan McGinty
Dist. 5 (Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth): Carol Fritz

The Executive Committee will meet monthly to more closely oversee RWS activities. The full Board of Directors, which had met monthly, will now meet quarterly to vote on major issues.

Here is a closer look at the new Board officers:

Jeffrey Jordan is the city manager of South Portland. He has served on the RWS Board since 1996 and is the former vice chairman and treasurer. He is a former chairman of the Casco Bay Estuary Project and is currently the chair of the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation Study. Jordan has a master's from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Maine. He has been recognized for his leadership on environmental issues, including the Governor's Environmental Achievement Award in 1998 and a Friends of Casco Bay Award in 1996.

Anthony T. Plante is the town manager of Windham. He has been a member of the RWS Board since 1996, serving as treasurer and on the Finance Committee and Executive Committee. Plante has been a member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) since 1985. He also serves as president of GPCOG, and is a member of the Cumberland County Managers Association and the PACTS Policy Committee. Plante has a bachelor's degree in public management from the University of Maine and is a graduate of the Institute for Civic Leadership’s Eta Class (1999-2000). He is a graduate of Edward Little High School in Auburn.

Duane Kline, the treasurer for the City of Portland since 1987, has served on the RWS Board since 1988. Kline is a certified public accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He has served on the Board of Maine, New England, and the National Government Finance Officers Association.

Susan McGinty of Cumberland has served on the RWS Board since 1992. She has chaired the Board’s Recycling Committee for the past three years. McGinty, who served on the Cumberland Town Council from 1990-1996, has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Bates College.

The RWS waste-to-energy plant operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and complies with state and federal Clean Air emission standards. Each year, RWS processes more than 170,000 tons of trash. The heat created by burning the waste generates steam, which is then transformed into enough electricity to meet the needs of 15,000 homes.

RWS also operates the largest, most comprehensive municipal recycling program in the state, recycling more than 17,000 tons of recycled materials each year. For more info, visit the RWS web site at www.regionalwaste.org.

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