Feb. 17—A Colorado Springs Utilities board member is calling for greater transparency in the selection of a new CEO ahead of a vote on Wednesday.

Board member Bill Murray outlined specific steps he would like the board to take in a letter he sent out Friday, including allowing the two finalists to speak ahead of a vote and releasing the results of a nonscientific public survey about the candidates.

The Utilities board, which is also Colorado Springs City Council, announced acting CEO Travas Deal and Chief System Planning and Projects Officer Lisa Barbato as the two finalists for CEO at the end of January. They are competing to replace CEO Aram Benyamin who left in November to take a job with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Benyamin earned $480,000 annually.

Deal was hired by Utilities in 2017 as field service manager and later became general manager of the Energy Services Division. Before that, he worked at the largest coal-generating plant in the U.S. Barbato started at Utilities in 1998 and her experience has largely focused on water and wastewater with a stint as the general manager of a department overseeing the wastewater collection system, water resource recovery facilities and the maintenance of the water distribution system. She also worked as the general manager of the energy supply department.

Murray said in his letter a fair, open and honest process to select a CEO has not occurred to his satisfaction. He noted the selection process has happened in closed session and so the public has not been able to hear the board's questions or the candidate's answers. In his letter, he called for an opportunity to ask questions of the CEO candidates in open session.

"These are simple requests and honest requests," he said.

In his letter, he also called for the board members to certify they had received and read materials supplied by the two finalists.

Utilities Board Chairman Wayne Williams said until finalists for CEO are selected, state law requires a confidential process. Hammering out the terms of a new CEO contract also needs a closed process.

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"Everything we have done has been based on legal counsel," he said.

There are also some concerns with releasing the results of a nonscientific survey of the finalists that asked the public to rate the candidates, he said. Utilities used a simple tool that could have allowed some people to participate multiple times.

Murray said the public's input should be available to everyone.

He also noted Barbato and Deal have addressed the board in public on multiple occasions about many topics as senior officials of Utilities.

"These are not unknown people being brought in from the outside," he said.

In response to the request that board members certify they have read the materials, Williams said the board has been engaged in the selection process and no board members' right to vote can be revoked.

In addition, the board has been through an extensive process, he said, and brought in external candidates for interviews.

Internal candidates rose to the top in Williams' view, in part, because Utilities has accomplished some significant milestones in its transition to renewable energy, water acquisition and other areas. Internal candidates can also provide greater stability, and it is unusual to find external candidates with experience with a four-service utility.

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