David Daly named chief of PSEG-Long Island

PSEG on Friday said it appointed David Daly president and chief operating officer of PSEG-Long Island, the utility that is assuming near-total control of the LIPA electric grid on Jan. 1.

The company also appointed more than a dozen managers and directors to help run the new Long Island operation.

Daly has been the public face of PSEG to Long Islanders and Albany officials. He'll be in charge of running the utility's 12-year, $5.1-billion contract with LIPA. Daly, with 27 years of utility experience, has been overseeing PSEG's two-year transition with LIPA. He was previously a vice president of PSE&G, the sister company that runs the New Jersey grid.

PSEG and LIPA still have obstacles to overcome before the Jan. 1 start date.

The utilities are waiting for the Internal Revenue Service to declare that LIPA can maintain its tax-exempt status so that it can issue tax-exempt debt and avoid income taxes. Also, opponents of the deal recently filed an objection to a prior Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruling declaring that PSEG-Long Island and the new LIPA service entity are not public utilities and thus not subject to FERC jurisdiction.

Daly joined PSEG in 1983. He has worked in areas including energy acquisition and technology, and directed utility operations services, the company said.

In addition to improving day-to-day operations of the Long Island system, Daly's main charge is to vastly improve LIPA's traditionally low customer satisfaction ratings.

"We have assembled an outstanding team of experienced professionals with decades of utility experience, and we are committed to providing enhanced customer service, improved storm response and strong reliability," Daly said in a statement.

Working with Daly will be Daniel Eichhorn, a former PSE&G director of customer service, who was named vice president for customer services.

Eichhorn has been developing PSEG-LI's customer services organization for LIPA for the past year. His team includes Frederick Daum, a 26-year PSE&G veteran; Jorge Jimenez, an 18-year utility veteran most recently from Florida Power & Light; Richard Walden, a 25-year utility veteran; former National Grid attorney Suzanne Brienza, and Mike Voltz, a former LIPA director of program evaluation.

Also, John O'Connell was named PSEG-LI's vice president of transmission and distribution.O'Connell, a 27-year PSE&G veteran and electric division manager, will oversee the company's system of power cables, substations, and wires to homes and businesses. He'll also oversee safety and emergency preparedness.

His division will be staffed by three former PSE&G directors, and Nick Lizanich, currently LIPA's vice president of transition and development, who will be director of T&D asset management.

PSEG-Long Island also named William Johnson vice president of business services, in charge of finance, computer systems, procurement and "business process excellence initiatives." Johnson works for Lockheed Martin, a PSEG subcontractor providing information technology, transition management and corporate business services.