Less than a week after Turlock Irrigation District General Manager Larry Weis announced he’s headed for a new post at Austin Energy on Aug. 31, the TID Board of Directors is already at work planning for his successor.On Tuesday morning the board appointed Assistant General Manager of Electrical Engineering and Operations Casey Hashimoto to the post of Interim General Manager, effective Aug. 1.“Working as the general manager of TID, in this interim capacity, is a great responsibility to the TID employees, board members and communities we serve, and it is one I do not take lightly,” Hashimoto said.A 25-year veteran of TID, Hashimoto assumed his current assistant general manager position in early 2001.Hashimoto will receive a 10 percent salary bump along with the interim title, boosting his annual salary from $177,696 to $195,468. That’s less than Weis earned as general manager – $277,188 annually.The board also began the process of securing a permanent replacement for Weis, naming TID Directors Ron Macedo and Charles Fernandes to a committee focused on hiring a permanent general manager. “We, as a board, have a great deal of confidence in Hashimoto and his ability to manage the operations of the district and keep it heading in the right direction,” said TID Board President Rob Santos. “However, we are committed to finding the best candidate to lead TID as its permanent general manager and will make sure the search for that person is conducted expeditiously.”According to TID General Counsel Roger Masuda, who will sit on the search committee, hiring Weis to replace then-outgoing GM Paul Elias took about 11 months in 1999 and 2000. A similar search committee was formed at that time. The committee will be tasked with screening recruitment firms and facilitating recruiting decisions which do not require the whole board’s participation. All interviewing and the final decision on a new GM will be undertaken by the entire board, in closed session.The nationwide search process may cost the district as much as $280,000, according to a rough estimate made Tuesday morning by TID Assistant General Manager of Financial Services and Treasurer Joe Malasky.Employing a recruiting firm — standard practice for locating executives both in TID’s past and around the country — will comprise the lion’s share of the cost, or between $80,000 and $100,000. The district will also shoulder costs associated with flying and lodging candidates for interview trips, visiting with candidates’ current employers, and relocating the selected candidate, including moving expenses and a possible guaranteed floor value for the candidate’s home.To contact Alex Cantatore, e-mail acantatore@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2005.
TID Board appoints Hashimoto interim general manager
Cost of search for permanent replacement estimated at $280,000
