BPU calls for policy symposium, notes staff departures and moves into executive session on contract negotiations

An official at the Nov. 21 Board of Public Utilities meeting said the board should "arrange, organize a symposium to reflect and to learn from the lessons of the last 10 years" of New Jersey energy policy, arguing that lessons from successes and shortcomings would help the incoming administration.

The same speaker announced that "Kira Lawrence has has decided to leave us, and Henry Gaggia also has decided to take another job," and the board thanked both staff members for their service during the public remarks.

Later in the opening proceedings the Board requested and obtained an explanation from the Attorney General's office for entering executive session. An Attorney General's office representative stated, "Dean Energy items 8 a, 8 d, 8 e, and 8 f fall within the contract negotiation and attorney client privilege exceptions to the open public meetings act," and cited (as read in the transcript) New Jersey statute "10:4-12 v 7." The board then moved, seconded, and voted by voice to enter executive session; two 'Aye' responses are recorded in the public transcript and the meeting recessed to executive session.

The transcript does not include formal statements giving the full scope of the items to be discussed in executive session beyond the attorney-general office's statement that they fall under contract negotiation and attorney-client privilege exceptions. The motion to go into executive session was made and seconded on the public record and passed by voice vote; the transcript does not record a roll-call tally naming how each commissioner voted.