Candidate adds voice to calls for transparency about appointments to London Hydro’s board

Just days after two appointments to London Hydro’s board of directors were finalized by city council — Cedric Gomes is speaking out.

Gomes was the subject of a still unexplained flip-flop by several members of city council following a closed-door meeting with the CEO of London Hydro and a board member.

After that meeting, a majority of council backed a candidate who was recommended by the hydro board.

“I'm not trying to overturn that decision,” he told CTV News London in his first interview since council’s decision. “I will not be reapplying to London Hydro.”

Instead, his interest in the selection process has turned to greater transparency for the public.

“Why were there two hours of closed door meetings? Is the board committed to transparency and good governance? Is there something they don't want being made public?” asked Gomes.

His concerns aren’t isolated.

Following the closed-door meeting on Sept. 19, confidentiality rules limited what some concerned councillors could say in public.

At the time Coun. Peter Cuddy expressed frustration and said, “This has become a toxic situation, and despite the best efforts, this will never be corrected without a new member being appointed to the board.”

“I have concerns about the (hydro) board, and if we are going to appoint, I would also like a review of the current board members,” Coun. Susan Stevenson told colleagues.

“I'm very concerned about the innuendo that is out there in the community,” added Coun. Trosow prior to the vote.

It took council over five months to make the appointments.

The process began in April when council was informed that two board members intended to retire, Gabe Valente and Jack Smit.

After the hydro board followed a council-approved application and candidate evaluation process, a letter was sent to council on July 7 recommending Tim Watson and Tracy Gustafson.

However, on July 19 council’s Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee instead recommended Watson and Cedric Gomes.

One week later, council deferred those appointments — at the request of London Hydro.

On Sept. 19, council went behind closed doors with London Hydro’s CEO and a representative of the board.

When council emerged from that meeting a majority supported the hydro board’s recommended candidates Watson and Gustafson, not Gomes.

“Londoners deserve for this to be an open and transparent process,” Gomes said. “I would hope that the board would have seen to that.”

As sole shareholder of the public utility, the City of London is responsible for appointing members to the hydro board.

London Hydro provides a $5 million dividend to the city each year which council directs to the municipal budget.

The board has seven members, including Ward 7's Corrine Rahman who holds a seat reserved for a member of council.

CTV News London was told that Chair Connie Graham led the appointment process but won't be available for an interview until a future date.

During his career, Gomes has worked in several senior leadership roles including at online retailer Wayfair and professional services firm Deloitte.

He has advice for the hydro board and council, “It’s poor optics, and there are certainly a lot of open questions, and the right approach in my experience, is to introduce a ton of transparency and sunlight into the process.”

Gomes emphasized that his push for answers is about ensuring integrity in the process.

“I have a two-year old daughter at home. I've been volunteering since I was 14. I want her to be engaged in her community like I've been,” he said. “I want her to engage based on her merit, not based on closed door politics.”