Bill Rosen was elected Tuesday as president of the board of directors of the Goleta Water District for 2010.

Rosen, elected to the board in 2008, is serving a four-year term through 2012.

He said he is “gratified by the confidence shown in him by his colleagues on the board and hopes that the coming year would be a fulfilling experience for the board and the district.”

Rosen moved to the Santa Barbara area in 2003 and brings experience and knowledge to the position having spent more than 30 years serving and advising governments in New York. He is a retired attorney. He was county counsel for more than 15 years and provided legal advice to local governments and school districts in all aspects of government operations.

During the past year, Rosen undertook the restructuring of the board of directors’ operations by submitting legislation to make the board operations more open and apparent. “The board needed a process to make its actions more understandable and comprehensible to the public,” he said.

Several aspects of board actions have been modified from its committee structure, contracting policy to the manner in which it publishes the results of its meetings.

“Water is the most vital resource in this community, and how the district manages and charges for water must be understandable to the public,” Rosen said.

The district is in the process of developing a groundwater management plan and will revise its urban water management plan during the coming year.

— John McInnes is general manager of the Goleta Water District.