Seven candidates seek BSU board seats

Seven candidates, including three incumbents, are running for three seats on the Bonita Springs Utilities Inc. board of directors.

The candidates are:
• Robert Bachman, owner of WBG SW Florida and BSU board member since 2000.
• Wayne Bauman, who has a career background in construction and engineering.
• Vincent Marchesani, retired vice president of Basell North America and BSU board member since 2017.
• Mary Meima, who worked at BSU for 35 years.
• James Murphy, former CEO of Illinois Coal Sales and BSU board member since 2020.
• Jude Richvale, vice president for Virtual DBA Inc.
• Martha C. Simons, an officer for Cherokee Painting Co. Inc. who served on the Bonita Springs City Council for eight years.

The candidates’ bios and submitted applications are available for review at www.bsu.us/2022-board-of-directors-election.

Members will elect three directors for a three-year term to the utility’s nine-member board. BSU will mail ballots and candidate profiles to members in late February. Completed ballots must be received no later than Thursday, March 10, and are not accepted at BSU’s offices. A third-party election monitor receives and counts all ballots and will announce the election results during the utility’s annual meeting Tuesday, March 15, at 7 p.m. at the Customer Service Center, located at 11900 East Terry St., Bonita Springs.

Other board members are Paul J. Attwood, Richard Garner, Brian Farrar, Lawrence Kosilla Jr., Mike Malloy and Ben Nelson. The board of directors holds public meetings at 5 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. In addition, each board member serves on various subcommittees and task groups, working with the utility’s management and staff.

Bonita Springs Utilities Inc. is a not-for-profit water and wastewater utility cooperative founded by local citizens in 1970. The member-owned utility provides service in the City of Bonita Springs, the Village of Estero and unincorporated South Lee County. The utility is recognized as an industry leader with awards from the American Water Works Association, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Water Environment Association.