Scott Springer will take over management of the North Little Rock Electric Department in May after four years as the city-owned utility's assistant general manager, Mayor Joe Smith announced at Monday night's City Council meeting.
Springer, 58, will replace General Manager James Bray, who enters retirement May 29. Springer will begin his new position at that time. His new salary hasn't been determined, Smith said.
As general manager, Springer will oversee 130 employees and a $94.5 million Electric Department budget. The utility has about 38,000 metered customers in North Little Rock and in part of neighboring Sherwood.
With Bray's retirement after decades with the utility and other employee retirements or movements to other jobs, Springer said Monday night, replacing that kind of experience will be a challenge.
"The issue we have now is that from June 2017 to June of 2018, we will have lost over 300 years of experience out of our department," Springer said. "James Bray has over 40 years here, and you can't have that kind of experience just walk out the door. But we have great folks there."
Springer, a 1978 graduate of North Little Rock High School, has 37 years with the city utility, starting in 1981 as a groundman, and has worked several other positions, including as a journeyman lineman and in distribution design before being named assistant general manager.
Springer alluded in a prepared statement to the City Council about how much the utility industry has been changing and the utility's effort to meet all demands. The city utility has diversified its power suppliers in the past few years and moved into a daily market for purchasing electricity.
"Our industry is going through some changes, but employees, residents and the City Council are still counting on us to run the best electric utility we can," Springer said. "I appreciate Mayor Smith's confidence and look forward to trying every day to help our team deliver positive results."
In a joint statement to the City Council, Smith and Bray both praised Springer's readiness to move up to general manager.
"I didn't need any convincing in deciding to ask Scott to take over the responsibilities of this very demanding and crucial position, and judging by his past performance at the Electric Department, he is going to do a great job for us as the new general manager," Smith said. "It will be difficult to fill James' exceptionally qualified shoes, but if anyone can, it will be Scott."
Bray said Springer "knows our Electric Department inside and out."
"The energy market has become extremely complicated," said Bray, who became general manager April 1, 2015. "I relied on his expertise plenty of times, and I have complete confidence in handing over the reins to someone with such a great skill set."
Metro on 02/27/2018