Darren Briscoe: Firing GRU leader would be a mistake

Thursday
Jan 4, 2018 at 2:00 AM

By Darren Briscoe Special to The Sun

I write this column from the inside of Gainesville Regional Utilities. I can’t stand by and let my opinions and those of my co-workers go unheard. It took us all by surprise last month when the City Commission threw around the idea of firing GRU General Manager Ed Bielarski. We were all in shock that this was even being considered.

Bielarski, and the team he put together, just finalized a $750 million deal that will save the city and the people it serves a lot of money. I know it’s disputed exactly how much will be saved, but it is safe to say it is a considerable amount over the option of remaining in the Gainesville Renewable Energy Center contract. It is my belief that GRU will see higher savings then projected due to being able to utilize our new plant in a more efficient manner than it was previously being run.

What exactly does the commission want from our leader? He’s proven himself to be well educated, thorough, trustworthy, open and personable. We feel we can take our concerns to him. These are qualities that earn the respect of the workforce underneath him.

I urge the commission to look back on their notes from Bielarski’s hiring interview and see if he’s not held up his part of the deal. I’m sure that one of the questions during the interview wasn’t, “As a potential charter officer of the city of Gainesville, will you bow down to every directive handed down by the City Commission?” The commissioners ultimately hold all of the power (at least until November) but also have to entertain the idea that Bielarski has the knowledge and skills needed to lead a top-tier municipal utility, as proven by the things that have been accomplished under his leadership.

GRU is like a trust fund left to someone. If the fund is not managed correctly, it ultimately will dry up and not be able to provide for the trustee. This is why you entrust a fund to a manager, who is educated in that business, to guide and ultimately get the most benefit from your investment. Bielarski is that manager.

The commission has put Gainesville’s trust fund in jeopardy with its past choices. Former General Manager Robert Hunzinger was directed by the commission to make the GREC deal happen and ultimately the ratepayers paid for its mistake. Bielarski was dealt a hand with which to play. He had options on which way he thought GRU should proceed. He vetted each avenue and came to what I, and most within the organization, feel was the best outcome for the city of Gainesville.

These people I speak of, myself included, kept quiet during the commission’s decision to enter into a contract with an outside firm to provide power to our city. Realizing we had a second chance to correct this misstep, we rallied around Bielarski and his decision to pursue purchasing GREC. This was Bielarski’s decision. He pushed it to the commission, not the other way around. This is a testament to his leadership.

Ed, as so many call him, is now being taken to task by the other departments inside the city. In order to maintain the elite status and reliability that GRU provides, we have to retain the best workforce possible. Our trained and knowledgeable workforce is being depleted at a rapid pace. Since the change in the retirement package and the lack of adequate raises, it’s getting harder to keep the top talent that we have trained here at GRU.

Other companies are actively seeking our employees due to their training and experience. GRU is on the verge of being a training facility for other utilities. Once a hole is created, our pay scale makes it almost impossible to fill that void with anywhere near the talent we lost. So we underfill and train someone only to lose them to another utility, thus creating the same vicious cycle.

I commend Bielarski for taking actions such as asking for raises for people under his authority and speeding up the hiring process. Unfortunately, this has ruffled some feathers in other departments outside of GRU.

Ed Bielarski is only fighting to keep GRU at the top of its game. This is what was asked of him when the commission hired him. This is why I’m speaking up for my boss. He’s doing a great job and I hope he gets to continue.

Darren Briscoe is a system operator at GRU.

Thursday
Jan 4, 2018 at 2:00 AM

By Darren Briscoe Special to The Sun

I write this column from the inside of Gainesville Regional Utilities. I can’t stand by and let my opinions and those of my co-workers go unheard. It took us all by surprise last month when the City Commission threw around the idea of firing GRU General Manager Ed Bielarski. We were all in shock that this was even being considered.

Bielarski, and the team he put together, just finalized a $750 million deal that will save the city and the people it serves a lot of money. I know it’s disputed exactly how much will be saved, but it is safe to say it is a considerable amount over the option of remaining in the Gainesville Renewable Energy Center contract. It is my belief that GRU will see higher savings then projected due to being able to utilize our new plant in a more efficient manner than it was previously being run.

What exactly does the commission want from our leader? He’s proven himself to be well educated, thorough, trustworthy, open and personable. We feel we can take our concerns to him. These are qualities that earn the respect of the workforce underneath him.

I urge the commission to look back on their notes from Bielarski’s hiring interview and see if he’s not held up his part of the deal. I’m sure that one of the questions during the interview wasn’t, “As a potential charter officer of the city of Gainesville, will you bow down to every directive handed down by the City Commission?” The commissioners ultimately hold all of the power (at least until November) but also have to entertain the idea that Bielarski has the knowledge and skills needed to lead a top-tier municipal utility, as proven by the things that have been accomplished under his leadership.

GRU is like a trust fund left to someone. If the fund is not managed correctly, it ultimately will dry up and not be able to provide for the trustee. This is why you entrust a fund to a manager, who is educated in that business, to guide and ultimately get the most benefit from your investment. Bielarski is that manager.

The commission has put Gainesville’s trust fund in jeopardy with its past choices. Former General Manager Robert Hunzinger was directed by the commission to make the GREC deal happen and ultimately the ratepayers paid for its mistake. Bielarski was dealt a hand with which to play. He had options on which way he thought GRU should proceed. He vetted each avenue and came to what I, and most within the organization, feel was the best outcome for the city of Gainesville.

These people I speak of, myself included, kept quiet during the commission’s decision to enter into a contract with an outside firm to provide power to our city. Realizing we had a second chance to correct this misstep, we rallied around Bielarski and his decision to pursue purchasing GREC. This was Bielarski’s decision. He pushed it to the commission, not the other way around. This is a testament to his leadership.

Ed, as so many call him, is now being taken to task by the other departments inside the city. In order to maintain the elite status and reliability that GRU provides, we have to retain the best workforce possible. Our trained and knowledgeable workforce is being depleted at a rapid pace. Since the change in the retirement package and the lack of adequate raises, it’s getting harder to keep the top talent that we have trained here at GRU.

Other companies are actively seeking our employees due to their training and experience. GRU is on the verge of being a training facility for other utilities. Once a hole is created, our pay scale makes it almost impossible to fill that void with anywhere near the talent we lost. So we underfill and train someone only to lose them to another utility, thus creating the same vicious cycle.

I commend Bielarski for taking actions such as asking for raises for people under his authority and speeding up the hiring process. Unfortunately, this has ruffled some feathers in other departments outside of GRU.

Ed Bielarski is only fighting to keep GRU at the top of its game. This is what was asked of him when the commission hired him. This is why I’m speaking up for my boss. He’s doing a great job and I hope he gets to continue.

Darren Briscoe is a system operator at GRU.

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