• Share this Email Facebook Twitter

Brian Lee's first day on the job as Deputy General Manager of Marina Coast Water District, he also stepped up to become acting general manager for three months while GM Jim Heitzman is on paid leave.

The 12-week absence, which began Monday, is unrelated to Board Member Peter Le's accusations that Heitzman threatened him and his family last week, Lee says.

"Jim's taken my arrival here as an opportunity to take some time off," Lee says.

Le, who joined the board in December, had requested the board consider placing Heitzman on administrative leave in an email he sent late Friday to Marina Coast President Tom Moore and attorney Roger Masuda.

That request never even made the agenda. (The board did have an already-scheduled performance evaluation of the general manager, but took no action out of their closed session meeting Tuesday night.)

Lee joins Marina Coast from Rainbow Municipal Water District in unincorporated San Diego County.

He says his first order of business is learning what the county's "alphabet soup" of water-related agencies do, and also "get an understanding of all of the legal issues the district is involved in and see if we can’t untangle some of that rat’s nest."