The Nueces River Authority Board of Directors determined “no intentional wrongdoing” by Executive Director John Byrum, who had been accused of presenting inaccurate information to local leaders about a proposed water project, after an external review.
“Overall, this investigation did not reveal facts or evidence to show intentional wrongdoing by Mr. Byrum or anyone else associated with the NRA,” board President Eric Burnett said during a May 21 board meeting. “However, the lack of communication and collaboration among the executive team is causing unnecessary operational challenges.”
The review stems from a leaked letter from former Chief Operations Officer Travis Pruski to board members that alleged several concerns about Byrum’s leadership, including that he had overstated water sales figures to the board and entities like the city of Corpus Christi, which paid a $2.7 million fee to reserve water from the river authority’s planned Harbor Island seawater desalination project.
During the May 21 meeting, Pruski was scheduled to present on another agenda item. However, when Pruski was called on to discuss the agenda item, he instead resigned from his position and left the meeting. In his remarks, he criticized the river authority leadership and said he “can no longer be part of this organization.”
“It was the honor of my professional life to serve alongside the dedicated staff of the Nueces River Authority and the communities of South Texas for over a decade,” Pruski said in a message to the Caller-Times. “I will continue fighting to prevent flooding, enhance water quality, and find viable long term water supply solutions for the people of this region. That mission does not end today — it just takes a new form.”
The item Pruski was scheduled to speak on, which was a master services agreement for a flood infrastructure project, was tabled.
Earlier during the May 21 meeting, the board unanimously approved several motions related to the leadership dispute, creating a personnel committee and a transparency task force.
The personnel committee will examine the concerns that surfaced during the investigation. The transparency task force will bring recommendations to the board aimed at improving public trust, accountability and communication, according to motion language.
Olivia Garrett covers education and community news in South Texas. Have a story idea? Contact her at olivia.garrett@caller.com.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Review finds no intentional wrongdoing by Nueces River Authority leader
Reporting by Olivia Garrett, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
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