ALBANY - Glenn LaFave, the executive director of the Hudson River-Black River Regulating District for the last four years, has retired.
LaFave has been replaced by Michael Clark, who has been the Hudson River area administrator.
LaFave's last day was Wednesday. His departure was confirmed in a two-sentence news release from the regulating district late Thursday. LaFave could not be reached for comment.
LaFave was appointed executive director of the public-benefit corporation in February 2006. He was first appointed as a board member by Gov. George Pataki in 2000 and became the Black River area administrator in 2003. After the resignation of Richard Lefebvre in 2005, LaFave served as interim executive director for six months.
LaFave worked previously as a survey technician and an inspections assistant with the Department of Homeland Security.
The regulating district is responsible for water flow control in the Hudson River and Black River and operating the reservoirs at Great Sacandaga Lake and Indian Lake in the Hudson River watershed, and the Stillwater, Old Forge and Sixth Lake reservoirs in the Black River watershed.
The Hudson River side of the district, in a 2008 federal ruling, lost its ability to charge hydroelectric plants in the Hudson River watershed a fee for providing stable water flow.
The resulting revenue shortfall has led the district to miss property tax payments to several local school districts totalling in the millions of dollars so far. The Black River area was unaffected by the ruling.
The district intended to charge Albany, Saratoga, Warren, Washington and Rensselaer counties for flood-control services to replace the denied revenue from the electric plants, but the counties filed a lawsuit to block the plan. The unpaid school districts have stated they intend to file a lawsuit against the district as well.
A plan to borrow money with funds from the Black River side of the district placed as collateral was approved in the state Senate and is awaiting a vote in the Assembly.