Posted on June 11, 2009 by Brad Mondschein

Amey Marella To Take Over At Connecticut DEP

My thanks to Lee Hoffman for this post....
 
Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell formally announced this week that Amey Marella, the Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut DEP, will now serve as the Acting Commissioner of the DEP until a replacement for Gina McCarthy can be appointed and approved.  McCarthy was confirmed by the U.S. Senate last week as the U.S. EPA's Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation and officially assumed her duties in that office on June 8th.  Governor Rell has announced that she will be conducting a nationwide search for McCarthy's permanent replacement, but there is no timetable as to when a successor will be selected.
 
Until a permanent successor is appointed, Marella will be assuming the duties of Commissioner and leaving McCarthy's chief lieutenants in place.  Marella faces a difficult task of keeping the agency focused as they deal with a dwindling budget and retirements of key staff as the result of the state's offer of early retirement to senior employees.  A copy of the e-mail sent by Acting Commissioner Marella to the DEP staff is copied below.

 

Dear Colleagues,

 I want to let you know that Governor Rell has just announced my appointment as DEP’s Acting Commissioner, while she conducts a national search for a permanent successor to Gina.

 While we all miss Gina’s dynamic leadership, I know that DEP’s success depends on the good work that each of you do every day, not the work of any one person.  Even a dynamo like Gina relied heavily on staff to brainstorm new initiatives and take action every day to protect the environment.  Indeed, one of Gina’s priorities was to put more decision making authority into your hands, so we as an agency can move more quickly and accomplish more. 

 In addition to losing Gina, we are facing an uncertain state budget situation and the bittersweet task of wishing colleagues goodbye as they retire.  Please know that all of us in the Commissioner’s office will do everything we can to keep the agency running smoothly and moving forward in our mission to protect the environment.

 Even in these tough times, we will take on targeted new initiatives – such as streamflow regulations, sustainable forestry practices, and improved stormwater management.  We will also continue our nationally recognized “No Child Left Inside” program.  And we will take on more LEAN projects – a cause near and dear to my heart.

 To minimize what LEAN calls “transportation waste,” I will camp out in the Commissioner’s office on the third floor during my tenure as Acting Commissioner.  Carmen Colon, who has kept the Commissioner’s office running effectively, will remain in her position as the Commissioner’s assistant.  Juliet Bryan-Powell, who has kept me in order and more or less on time while I have served as Deputy, will join the third floor area of the Commissioner’s staff to provide additional support.  Graham Stevens, who has stepped in to do a great job as Chief of Staff, will stay in that position.

 I look forward to talking more with all of you about plans for the future in the days ahead.  For now, I thank you for the professionalism and dedication that has achieved so much for the environment and this agency.  Meanwhile, if you have questions or concerns, please feel free to catch-up with me or Graham.            

 Amey

Tags: , ,
Trackbacks (0) Links to blogs that reference this article Trackback URL
http://www.greenenergyanddevelopmentlaw.com/admin/trackback/138868
Comments (0) Read through and enter the discussion with the form at the end
Post A Comment / Question Use this form to add a comment to this entry.







Remember personal info?
Send To A Friend Use this form to send this entry to a friend via email.