After Board Member Handed $184K Job, Water District Finds Replacement

A Cupertino councilman with decades of experience as an
environmental engineer has been tapped to serve on the governing
board of the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
San Jose – A Cupertino councilman with decades of experience as an environmental engineer has been tapped to serve on the governing board of the Santa Clara Valley Water District.

Patrick Shu Pui Kwok, 66, was chosen from a pool of 14 applicants that included two former mayors and a prominent environmental attorney. He claims a seat on the seven-member board three weeks after it was relinquished by Greg Zlotnick, whose mid-July departure for a $184,000-a-year job with the agency sparked weeks of controversy. On Monday, the day before Kwok’s interview, the flap over Zlotnick’s non-competitive appointment inspired the board to pass sweeping limitations on the powers of the agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Stan Williams.

Kwok declined to comment until he is sworn in within the next few days, according to district spokeswoman Susan Siravo.

The newest board member interviewed for the position Tuesday, with six current board directors settling on him after two rounds of voting Wednesday afternoon. 

Kwok’s resume spans 40 years in the environmental and water engineering business, including stints as a wastewater plant operator in Hayward and general manager of the Windsor County Water District. More recently, he has volunteered on water district advisory committees related to environmental policy, flood control and watershed management.

“Patrick has been very involved at the water district,” said Rosemary Kamei, South County’s representative on the agency’s board. “In terms of his experience, he’s very knowledgeable and he has lots of technical expertise.”

Kwok, who will have to resign his post on the Cupertino City Council to accept the job, edged out several other high-profile candidates for the position.

The list of finalists included former Mountain View Mayor Michael Kasperzak Jr., former Sunnyvale Mayor Julia Miller, and Terry Trumbull, an environmental lawyer who serves as an alternate member on the Local Agency Formation Commission, a powerful regional land-use agency.

Kwok is the father of Candice Kwok-Smith, who serves as the agency’s government relations liaison. She could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon. 

The appointment does not put the water district in danger of violating nepotism rules, Siravo said, explaining that the agency only prohibits employees from directly supervising or making decisions that could affect a relative or romantic interest.

Political fallout from Zlotnick’s appointment prompted the board Monday to call for a revolving door policy that will ban board members for working at the agency for a year after leaving office.

Kwok told board members that he plans to run for Zlotnick’s seat when it comes up for re-election June 2008.