Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Committee advances three DC Water board nominees to full Council
Loading...
Summary
The Committee on Transportation and the Environment approved reports for three mayoral nominations to be alternate members of the DC Water and Sewer Authority board: Robert Hawkins, Dr. Jimmy Ortiz, and Dr. Alexander MacPhail; nominations will proceed to the full Council.
The Committee on Transportation and the Environment voted June 25, 2025, to advance three mayoral nominations to the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority board of directors to the full Council. Chair Charles Allen moved the committee reports and recommended approval with leave for staff to make technical edits; the chair reported the ayes had it unanimously.
The three proposed resolutions (PR 26‑171, PR 26‑173, PR 26‑174), introduced to the Council by Chairman Mendelson on April 9, 2025, would appoint Robert Hawkins and Dr. Alexander MacPhail as alternate members for terms to end Sept. 12, 2028, and Dr. Jimmy Ortiz as an alternate member for a term to end Sept. 16, 2027. The committee held a roundtable on May 8, 2025, for the nominees; Dr. Ortiz did not attend that roundtable but met separately with Chair Allen on the record.
Chair Allen described each nominee’s background during the committee meeting. Robert Hawkins is identified in the report as a senior adviser in Berlin Rosen’s Washington, D.C., municipal lobbying practice and a former partner and chair of Nelson Mullins’s D.C. government relations practice. The report says Hawkins previously held several positions in District government (2008–February 2017) and has served on multiple local boards and commissions. The committee report lists Hawkins as a Ward 3 resident.
Dr. Jimmy Ortiz was described in the report as president and CEO of Zitro360 Group LLC, an international government‑relations and educational consulting firm, with prior global business and leadership roles at the U.S. Postal Service and other international organizations. The report lists Ortiz as a Ward 6 resident.
Dr. Alexander MacPhail was described as having more than 35 years of professional experience, including 33 years at the World Bank where he specialized in water‑sector work. The report notes MacPhail previously served six years on the DC Water board, chaired the customer service committee while on the board, and helped guide the utility’s $2 billion 10‑year capital program; the report lists him as a Ward 4 resident.
Chair Allen moved approval of the reports and recommendations for PR 26‑171, PR 26‑173 and PR 26‑174 en bloc, with leave for staff to make technical and conforming changes. The chair called for the vote and declared the ayes had it unanimously.
