Businessman Jay Sharpe fills vacant utility board seat

ALBANY — Welcome to the Water, Gas & Light Commission, Jay Sharpe.

Appointed by the Albany City Commission Wednesday night to fill a vacant seat on the five-person utility board, Sharpe stepped into a powder keg Thursday morning when, a short time after he was sworn into office by attorney Sam Engram, interim WG&L General Manager Tom Berry announced his resignation.

Angered over a City Commission discussion of a proposed charter change that would, among other things, give the WG&L board the authority to approve rights-of-way acquisitions up to $250,000, Berry stunned those at Thursday’s WG&L board meeting by announcing his plans to resign “immediately.”

Berry later said he could no longer work with the “dysfunctional” city government. “Unfortunately, the demons that plague this city will be here for a long time, until there are some deaths,” he said.

“One of the reasons I wanted to be a part of this board was to work with people like Mr. Berry,” Sharpe said after Berry made his announcement. “I’m really sorry to see this happen.”

Sharpe had said before the meeting that he applied for a seat on the WG&L board to “give back to a city that’s been very good to my family.” The Valdosta State University graduate is one of the principals in the family-run U-Save-It Pharmacy business.

“My plan is to be humble, take in as much as I can and to learn from the other members of the board,” Sharpe said. “WG&L is one of the largest employers in the city, and it impacts everyone in the city. I’m thankful to the City Commission for this opportunity, and I hope I can be a positive part of this board.”

Lighting Director Jimmy Norman gave the commission a preview of his security lighting plan that will emphasize use of LED lighting, which he said initially costs more than high-pressure sodium and metal-halide lighting but will eventually cost considerably less.

“(The other types of lights) usually need serious maintenance in two years, but LED lighting shouldn’t need anything other than routine maintenance for 10 to 12 years,” Norman said.

Berry said the security lighting plan is to increase the current 5,000 to 6,000 lights in the city to around 25,000. These are lights on private property that are paid for by property owners above their traditional utility bills.

“A city this size should have around 25,000 security lights,” the interim GM said. Asked by Mayor Dorothy Hubbard if the plan would be a money-maker for the utility, Berry said installation of 25,000 lights would bring in $3 million annually.

Norman said the WG&L plan, which he called “very competitive,” is set up to pay for each light fixture, pole and installation within a 36-month period. “After the first three years, we’d start making money on each light,” Norman said.

City CFO JoEllen Brophy told the board in her financial report that, through the month of May, the city has net income of $3,345,299, including MEAG transfers totaling $9,481,337. Two-thirds of those transfers are transferred to the city of Albany.

“As we come to the end of the fiscal year, we’re at about a break-even point,” Brophy said after the meeting. “I certainly think we can do better. The new budget has a plan in place for WG&L to do better, to maximize its potential.”

Reacting to Berry’s resignation, board members said they would re-evaluate their positions on the board. Commissioner Bob Hutchinson, who said he was “hurt” by Berry’s announcement and would “do some soul-searching on the matter,” reportedly announced his resignation after the meeting. Hutchinson was not immediately available for comment.