Editors note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

The Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority board fired General Manager Tony Cunningham Wednesday night, with Authority Chair Ed Bielarski subsequently resigning from the authority and being named interim general manager.

At a particularly tense meeting on Monday, Bielarski tried to fire Cunningham, but the vote failed 3-2. On Wednesday, authority member Crag Carter made the motion to fire Cunningham, a move that came just days after Carter joked he would consider firing him to put him out of his misery in dealing with Bielarski and the utility.

Wednesday’s vote passed 4-1 with Eric Lawson in dissent. The board agreed to make Lawson chair in Bielarski’s absence.

“This is with [Cunningham’s] knowledge, not his happiness,” Carter said. “I should have fired him so he could go to bed that night… I feel we need to move forward.”

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Bielarski is the sixth GRU Authority member to resign in the past year, as all five previous members of the board left their positions over a lawsuit filed by a local citizens group that questioned if the members met residency requirements outlined in the bill that created the authority.

The resignation also puts the authority back at four members, an even number that led to numerous gridlocked votes for the first authority.

Bielarski previously served as the general manager of GRU and was fired in 2022 by the Gainesville City Commission before attempting a failed bid for mayor. While he accomplished some major projects during his tenure, including the controversial purchase of the biomass plant, commissioners believed that he fell short on other larger initiatives, including a solar project, a contract to provide the University of Florida with power and a partnership with Florida Power & Light.

Since being appointed to the authority, Bielarski has asserted himself as a vocal player in the future of the utility, hijacking meetings with 30-plus minute presentations with his visions for GRU. On Monday, Carter seemed upset with Bielarski’s aggressive approach, saying that the authority was not meant to be “The Ed Bielarski show.”

“It’s a shame to see our city lose one of the best professionals I’ve ever worked with… Cunningham took over after a period of chaos at GRU. After the previous General Manager,  [Bielarski], was fired for mismanagement, including being in charge over four consecutive debt downgrades and a 60% electric base rate increase during his time, [Cunningham] cleaned up the mess and showed results,” City Commissioner Bryan Eastman said in an email to The Sun. “[Cunningham] stabilized GRU rates, stopped the debt downgrades, and negotiated the boldest debt reduction plan in GRU’s history. His track record speaks for itself, and I know he will do great in whatever he chooses next.”

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: GRU Authority fires GM, appoints member as interim pending resignation