The Austin Utilities Board of Commissioners has named Jerry McCarthy its new general manager.

Wednesday, December 08, 1999

The Austin Utilities Board of Commissioners has named Jerry McCarthy its new general manager.

The appointment was made Tuesday morning at a special meeting of the commissioners.

McCarthy, an Austin native, has been with Austin Utilities for 21 years. He last served as director of technical services.

According to Ken Regner, president of the board, "McCarthy is very familiar with the utilities’ operations. He is well-known and highly respected in our community. These factors weighed heavily in choosing McCarthy for this position."

Regner said the board had several "very good candidates, so this decision was not an easy one."

He said endorsements for McCarthy from many people in the community and from outside the community influenced the board’s decision.

Commissioner Ruth Rasmussen spoke to utilities employees today and said, "We are confident Jerry McCarthy will serve Austin Utilities and the Austin community very well."

McCarthy replaces Kevin Maynard, who left the general manager’s post this summer to return to Ohio for personal and professional reasons.

Maynard had replaced Michael Enfield, who left the GM’s post for health reasons.

The new GM told supervisory employees today he wants to meet with them and other utility employees individually. "I want to hear your concerns," he said. "I need your support and you have mine."

McCarthy called the appointment a milestone in his lengthy career with the utilities. "I started with Austin Utilities working in the storeroom as the lowest paid employee," he said.