Council expending lots of energy on Water and Light board slot

Evidently it’s harder than it looks to appoint a new member to the Water and Light Advisory Board.

The City Council seems unable to narrow the list of choices down to two, even though it has some history with at least two of the candidates. Former Water and Light Director Dick Malon and former First Ward Councilman Larry Schuster are among the four people competing for a spot on the board.

The Water and Light board is one of the city’s most influential, especially as Columbia examines how to meet growing energy needs in the coming years and with a voter-approved mandate that it increase its use of alternative energy sources.

Aside from Malon and Schuster, the other candidates are Dick Parker and Steve Tanzey. After several rounds of voting at its last meeting, the council failed to appoint anyone. So it plans to do a round of interviews during a work session before its regular meeting this coming Monday.

Who would you like to see as the new Water and Light board member?