David Hay’s leaving raises questions
Few high offices in this province are as grindingly tough, as fraught with fear and loathing, as that of president of the late, lamented NB Power.
So none should begrudge David Hay’s decision to throw in the towel just as the utility he has ably led over the past five years prepares for its reincarnation as a vassal of Hydro-Quebec. Still, the manner of his departure, announced yesterday, poses more questions than answers.
Why, for example, does the provincial government insist on terming this a “retirement”, when the circumstances more aptly suggest a “resignation”?
After all, Hay – who is nowhere near putting-out-to-pasture – hitched-up for a new, three-year term only last March. At the time, he appeared boundlessly energetic, ready to do battle with the forces fate unleashes on power companies struggling to make a buck in the unpredictable world of fossil fuel. Now, says his terse statement, “is the right time to move on.”
And that’s the other thing. It is customary for those in the public eye who choose to truncate their careers to provide the appropriate dog and pony show for the clamorous media. One expects a scrum at which carefully crafted messages are scattered like confetti – something along the lines of, “After careful consideration and consultation with my family, I am moving on to pursue other interests to be revealed at a later date.”
But, at this writing, Hay has remained scrupulously tight-lipped, refusing interviews, preferring to let his political masters do the talking.
“David Hay retires having turned around the utility and made it a great place to work,” Energy Minister Jack Keir said dutifully yesterday. “His counsel leading up to the period of transition has been invaluable, and I thank him for his services to New Brunswickers. . .This is David Hay’s decision. He saw that NB Power is headed in a new direction and he saw this as an opportune time to pass the torch.”
Uh-huh. Should we read between the lines and properly wonder? Was Hay forced out? Or did he quit in protest over the deal with Hydro-Quebec?
All of which sheds a light, albeit a dim one, into the one corner of this story that has successfully resisted media scrutiny over the past few months. We know how most New Brusnwickers feel. We know what Opposition Leader David Alward thinks. We know what the business community says. But what do we know about NB Power’s own employees? Where do they stand, behind closed doors, on the subject of sale?
It’s not idle curiosity or rank speculation that motivates such musings. Inarguably, those who work for the utility are among the most qualified in the province to judge the efficacy of the tentative agreement with Quebec. And when the company’s most senior executive packs up and hits the bricks so abruptly, we are left to ask ourselves: Does he know something the rest of us don’t?
Certainly, the optics for the provincial government are lousy. Whenever a controversy as volcanic as the NB Power saga erupts, common sense (and public relations) dictates that everyone on the mountain runs in the same direction. If Hay did choose, of his own volition, to leave at this worst possible time for the government, did anyone in cabinet try to change his mind? Or did Keir recognize that such negotiations would be futile – so strong were the CEO’s objections?
We’ll likely never know the whole truth. Confidentiality contracts typically accompany severance packages in circumstances like this. Still, if Hay can’t talk, the provincial government has some obligation – if only to itself – to provide a fuller rendering of the reasons for this development.
The fragile accommodation Premier Shawn Graham recently reached with Quebec – to sell generation assets, but retain the transmission system – has not persuaded many hardcore opponents. And Hay’s departure will only provide more justification for trembling over a deal that has already generated more than enough fear and loathing.
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February 2nd, 2010 at 8:18 pm
It’s reasonable to assume that one of Hay’s criteria for leaving the NBP CEO position was related to what was best for his career, and hence his family. After a prudent period of reflection, one could assume that he recognized that the clock was ticking.
In the private sector, a merger or acquisition can result in a “superfluous” chief or senior executive, who usually vacates that position forthwith. I find it in no way surprising that Hay left when he did and I have no axe to grind with respect to the NB Power deal one way or the other.
Forced out? Quit in protest? How about the third option where his job disappeared and he now needs another.