WMUA commissioners tap acting executive director

MANALAPAN — Katherine Leatherman, the general manager of the Western Monmouth Utilities Authority, has been named the authority's acting executive director.

She steps into the position of acting executive director following the departure of Michael A. Dimino, who served as the executive director of the WMUA from April 2007 to June, 11, 2009.

Dimino was responsible for the day-today management and operation of the WMUA's advanced waste water treatment plant on Pension Road. The plant processes 5.5 million gallons per day of waste water, servicing 25,000 residential customers in Manalapan, Marlboro, Englishtown and Freehold Township.

Manalapan and Marlboro municipal officials appoint two representatives from each municipality to serve as WMUA commissioners.

Manalapan's WMUA commissioners Eric Abraham and Steve Toubin told the News Transcript on June 24 that it was an amicable separation between Dimino and the authority.

"We want to make this clear," Abraham said. "Mike did nothing illegal or improper. The executive director and the commissioners had a difference of agreement over our priorities. Mike is a visionary about long-term projects and green initiatives and the commissioners were not looking as far down the road as he was. We have $7 million worth of projects (to upgrade the WMUA plant) starting now and we wanted his focus to be on that."

Jeff Meyer, a spokesman for the authority, said that at their June 25 meeting, "The WMUA commissioners passed a resolution officially ending the authority's relationship with Mr. Dimino. We parted ways amicably and we thank Mike for his service to the WMUA and to the communities of Manalapan an Marlboro."

Toubin said Leatherman has been named the acting executive director of the WMUA. He said she has been employed by the authority for 30 years "and knows the authority as well as any employee."

He said Leatherman is a qualified purchasing agent who will make certain that all of the authority's needs are met.

Abraham said plant superintendent Dane Martindell will oversee the $7 million worth of improvements that are scheduled to be made to the WMUA treatment facility.

— Mark Rosman