Leadership, integrity, and the work we were called to do at Birmingham Water Works: op-ed
This is a guest opinion column
During our time serving on the Board of Directors for the Birmingham Water Works, we made a conscious decision to lead with integrity, purpose, and unity. Representing 770,000 customers and 650 dedicated employees, we embraced this appointment fully aware that the work ahead would be difficult—but no less necessary.
This Board was not shaped by uniformity, but rather by a powerful diversity of thought, race, professional experience, age, political affiliation, and geography. Despite those differences, we led together—bound by common goals: to deliver high-quality water to our customers, improve operational efficiency, uplift employee morale, and provide a new standard of customer service. We prioritized creating opportunities for local small businesses and, perhaps most importantly, committed to removing politics from the essential services our utility provides.
We approached this work seriously and deliberately. That meant making tough decisions—reshaping leadership, rewriting outdated policies, and holding ourselves and our executive team to higher standards of governance and ethics. Throughout our tenure, we endured media scrutiny and political interference, yet we remained focused. Rather than respond to the loudest voices of misinformation and personal agendas, we chose instead to lead with our actions, with integrity, and with results.
In just a few years, this Board faced and fought against two separate pieces of legislation aimed at undermining our autonomy. We fielded thousands of customer inquiries, addressed hundreds of internal personnel matters, and weathered countless public attacks. Yet, through it all, we kept our eyes on the mission.
The most powerful encouragement we received came not from headlines or public accolades, but from customers who thanked us personally, and from employees who once lacked confidence in leadership, now finding new trust and morale under our watch.
When SB 330 was introduced, we stood firm—organizing in Montgomery, engaging with the media, and speaking directly to decision-makers to raise awareness. While some leaders chose silence during that critical time, we chose to fight. While other community leaders proudly chose to spread misinformation to villainize our employees, discredit our good efforts, and carry out other political and self-serving agendas, this Board chose to be louder with our actions. We fought for our customers, for our employees, and for the future of a system we know that matters deeply to our region. We gave that fight everything we had.
Over our tenure, we faced two pieces of harmful legislation designed to strip Birmingham of influence over its own water. This was not new. Montgomery has been attempting to seize control of the Birmingham Water Works for decades—going back to the tenure of Mayor Richard Arrington. They introduced legislation every year during his administration, but those efforts were consistently defeated because of his strong leadership. Unfortunately, today’s political climate did not offer the same resistance. When SB 330 passed, it did so with the help of misinformation and the silence of some who should have been fighting alongside us. The passage of SB 330 was not the result of operational failure or mismanagement—it was the culmination of longstanding political agendas, fueled by misinformation and reinforced by silence in critical moments.
From the outset of our appointment in 2021, we established policies to ensure clean, ethical governance. We implemented conflict-of-interest clauses for contractors and adopted a self-governance policy requiring every board member to publicly commit to ethical service. All directors underwent formal training with the Alabama Ethics Commission, many of us more than once. These were not symbolic gestures—they were foundational steps to remove political influence from our operations.
Contrary to false claims questioning our board’s capability, we assembled one of the most qualified governing bodies in the utility’s history: leaders with extensive experience in finance, law, public administration, infrastructure, medicine, and academia. These were not political appointees; they were public servants chosen for their experience and readiness to lead.
Our board included professionals with decades of experience: a chairwoman with a strong infrastructure management background; a vice-chair who served as CFO for Shelby County; a retired financial officer with 40 years in public finance; a former mayor; a 30-year veteran of Birmingham Water Works operations; a UAB physician; a professor with a doctorate; and an economic development leader. This board was not only capable—college educated, and highly qualified.
We recruited a new executive management team with the skills needed to correct longstanding operational challenges. Under the leadership of Mac Underwood—one of the most respected water professionals in the nation—we stabilized the organization. Mac brought more than 35 years of experience, including 18 years as general manager. His return was pivotal. We also brought back two former employees with over 45 years of combined institutional knowledge and appointed them as Assistant General Managers to lead customer-facing improvements.
To ensure institutional continuity, we brought longtime legal counsel Mark Parnell into executive leadership. His 38 years of experience and deep knowledge of our policies and history proved invaluable during this time of transition. We needed his insight not only to defend our past but to guide our future.
We authorized employment contracts for our executive team not out of politics, but out of duty. We knew that SB 330 would bring uncertainty to board governance, and we could not risk losing experienced leadership during a critical period. With over $143 million in infrastructure projects underway, and with the financial operations of the utility growing increasingly complex, we chose to act in the best interest of stability. This action was never about us—it was about safeguarding the future for our employees and customers.
As we prepare to transition leadership, we do so knowing that we have left the Birmingham Water Works better than we found it. The utility is financially sound, operationally improved, and led by a team committed to excellence. The next board will inherit an organization strengthened by resolve, not weakened by politics.
To our employees: thank you for your hard work, resilience, and trust. To our customers: thank you for allowing us to serve you. To those who doubted our motives or questioned our integrity—we let our work speak louder than words. And we believe history will show that the work was worth it.
The Birmingham Water Works Board of Directors, 2021–2025
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