SCV Water officials announced Tuesday they have elected their president and vice presidents for 2019, officials said.

The agency has re-elected Bill Cooper as board president, and Maria Gutzeit and Gary Martin to serve as vice presidents, according to officials.

The trio is set to lead the agency in 2019 as it continues to build upon the foundation from its first year of service.
“We have a lot of momentum going as we make good on the promises of the merger last year,” said Cooper. “I especially want to continue our focus on efficiencies and savings that benefit the ratepayers.”
Cooper was elected president of SCV Water’s inaugural leadership in 2018 and was originally elected to the Castaic Lake Water Agency Board of Directors in 1993.

The president is a long-time water professional, having worked for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for about 40 years, according to officials.

Related: SCV Water Officials Asking Residents To Limit Outdoor Water Use Next Week

Gutzeit was selected in 2018 as a vice president of SCV Water’s inaugural leadership and was the final president of the Newhall County Water District.

She is an environmental engineer and was initially elected to the Newhall County Water District board in 2003.
“I am very happy to continue to be part of the SCV Water officer team as we make it into the best agency it can be,” said Gutzeit. “Last year we had a lot of administrative tasks related to the formation as required by SB 634. This year I’m excited that we have more time to focus on what the community wants and needs: more transparency, more user-friendliness, innovation and sustainability.”
Martin was a member of the inaugural SCV Water Board of Directors. In 2013, he was initially selected as a member of the Castaic Lake Water Agency Board of Directors, where he filled an at-large vacancy, according to officials.

Martin retired after 19 years with the Mojave Water Agency, where he served as the director of engineering and was responsible for the design and construction of over $150 million in water system capital improvement projects, according to officials.
“I am honored to have been selected by my colleagues to serve as vice president for 2019, and I look forward to working with the board and staff to continue the great work done in the 2018 inaugural year of SCV Water,” said Martin. “We need to continue efforts to deliver a
best-in-class water agency to our customers, and to be ever-vigilant and take advantage of opportunities to further secure our long-term water supply reliability.”
The SCV Water Board is scheduled to meet twice a month on the first and third Tuesday.

The meetings, which are open to the public, are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at SCV Water’s headquarters, located at 27234 Bouquet Canyon Rd.

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