Paul Kitti

MARQUETTE — Paul Kitti, executive director of the Marquette Board of Light and Power, tendered his resignation tonight to the board of directors, effective June 2017.

“It’s time,” Kitti said. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’d like to quote from one of the prime ministers from England, he says, ‘I was once the future.'”

Kitti reflected on his time with the BLP, which spanned 13 years in a long career that included working in both the military and private and public sector utilities. He became executive director in 2013.

“As I tender my retirement and notice, I look back at what we’ve accomplished as a community,” Kitti said.

The MBLP holds a diamond level ranking with the American Public Power Association, making it one of the top 30 public utilities in the United States, according to APPA’s website.

“That means a lot,” Kitti said, adding the MBLP also has a 99.9969 reliability index and line crews respond to outages in 16-19 minutes.

“We’re in terrific financial condition. … We’re re-engineering ourselves all the time. You look at our rates, we had a big bump, but we’re still some of the lowest rates in our region, and this is (going to) level off, now that we’ve made this investment,” Kitti said, referring to the Marquette Energy Center. “We’ve got a great relationship with our union as we’ve reengineered a lot of jobs, that’s very important.”

Kitti noted he spent 30 years with the Upper Peninsula Power Company and Wisconsin Public Service, and saw both the not-for-profit and for-profit business models.

“It’s a distinct pleasure to have served here,” he said.

Board member Dave Carlson said as a senior board member, he has a history with BLP that goes back many decades.

“So I’ve seen lots of directors and worked with lots of directors during that time period, and I’d have to say, Paul, that you have done the finest job that I have seen in all of those years,” Carlson said. “And it’s been under some very difficult circumstances that you’ve had to do this.”

Carlson said Kitti has had a forceful way of pushing for what’s needed until it was accomplished, adding, “As an old military guy, you have been remarkable in a civilian agency to get people to really focus and work without having a brig to throw them into in order to make it happen.”

Kitti said he will work with the board and community for a smooth transition of power, adding the BLP is a jewel in the state of Michigan.

Board Chairman Tom Tourville noted that Kitti frequently uses the word “we” and rarely uses the word “I.”

“And that’s who Paul Kitti is,” Tourville said. “Paul, you deserve some recognition, I mean in addition to what we see here, you have 26 years in the Army and the Navy, and … you keep using the words ‘we did this’ and ‘we did that,’ but you drove the ship. And I’m not trying to sound corny with the ship thing because you were a Navy commander.”

Tourville thanked Kitti for staying through the completion of the new energy center.

“You have many great accomplishments here, you’ve been a great asset to this utility, you’ve had a remarkable career, and as Dave pointed out both military and now in the utility industry,” Tourville said. “June 30 is a long time away but not so long, and we’ll work through in the interim.”

Kitti thanked Tourville for the kind words, adding, “My mother would’ve liked them, my dad wouldn’t have believed them.”