By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

DAVID Craddick, the general manager of the Guam Waterworks Authority, has resigned effective immediately.
Craddick has been the general manager of GWA since January 2003.
The Consolidated Com--mis-sion on Utilities, which oversees GWA, accepted Craddick’s resignation and thanked him for all his hard work and accomplishments.
CCU appointed John M. Benavente, Consolidated Utility Services general manager, to temporarily take over the helm at GWA until a replacement can be found.
According to CCU, Craddick has agreed to assist in the transition process for the next 90 days. 
In an interview with Variety, Craddick said he was leaving for personal reasons. “When I first accepted the job, I told the CCU that I might serve for three months to help GWA. This has stretched into four years and I would like to rejoin my family now,” Craddick said.
Craddick’s family is in Maui, Hawaii and he is expected to relocate there after assisting his replacement in the transition period.
When asked what he would be doing after GWA, Craddick said he already has plans but is not yet at liberty to disclose details. He did say that he was planning to relocate to Hawaii.
Simon Sanchez, the chairman of CCU, expressed his gratitude to Craddick on behalf of the other CCU commissioners. Sanchez said Craddick made many contributions to GWA and its ratepayers, and he wishes Craddick well in his next endeavor.
Craddick has had a rollercoaster ride at the helm of GWA. When he took over, the utility was a mess, not only financially but also service-wise, as many people complained about the quality of Guam’s water and wastewater systems.
Today, Craddick said he is proud of what GWA has accomplished, including the improvement of its finances and its service record.
“We’ve met the Safe Water Drinking Act. That is quite an accomplishment,” Craddick said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agrees with Craddick, saying in its last annual report that Guam’s drinking water is now at the safest level it’s been in years.
Of course, Craddick also had rough moments as some people misinterpreted his hands-on management style and his “get it done quick” mentality.
Lately, there have been complaints about the safety valve requirement being imposed by GWA on residents. But Craddick said the number of complainants has been small.
“The majority understands what we’re trying to do and they know that GWA needs to do this,” Craddick told Variety.
When asked for his parting words, Craddick said he is optimistic that the employees of GWA will be able to continue the good work that has been started.