Board picks new head of New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board has chosen a new leader.

News outlets report the board Wednesday unanimously chose Ghassan Korban to lead the troubled agency.

Korban has run the Milwaukee Department of Public Works since 2011.

The board chose Korban over fellow finalist, former New Orleans City Attorney Avis Marie Russell.

Korban will have his hands full when he starts in September. The agency has been under intense scrutiny since flooding last August raised questions about the city's drainage system. The Sewerage & Water Board also faces hundreds of empty positions and a troubled billing system.

The previous Executive Director, Cedric Grant, retired last year amid widespread criticism over the agency's response to the flooding.