Brian Probolsky, Orange County Power Authority’s chief executive officer, was dismissed by its board members on Wednesday.
He will stay on through the end of May and will receive six months’ severance, as stipulated by his contract, said Tammy Kim, one of the members who voted to oust him during a closed-door meeting on April 19. Members Jose Castaneda and Kathleen Treseder joined Kim in voting for his dismissal while Don Wagner voted against the move, Fred Jung abstained and Casey McKeon was absent,
An interim CEO will be announced in the coming days, said Jung, the board chair.
“In just a few short years, the Orange County Power Authority has gone from one city’s vision to a fully operational community choice energy provider serving approximately 240,000 residential and commercial customers in four Orange County communities,” Jung said.
“While OCPA is financially strong with tens of millions of dollars in reserves, and operationally sound, the Board of Directors has made the decision to begin a search for a new CEO. The Board is committed to working together throughout the executive search process to select a CEO who will lead OCPA into the next phase of its growth,” Jung said. “The Board appreciates Brian Probolsky’s dedication and service building an organization that is having a positive environmental impact on the region.”
Wagner, an OC supervisor, said it was a closed-door personnel decision and could not comment.
During Probolsky’s two-year tenure at the helm of the ratepayer-funded agency, he oversaw the launch of the agency which now serves four cities. Both residential and commercial customers receive power purchased through the agency.
However, it was not without controversy. An audit by the Orange County Grand Jury, reviews by the county and a state audit all critiqued OCPA, particularly its leadership, for its management, pricing strategies and transparency.
The state audit alleged that Probolsky and staff did not follow…
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