FORT WRIGHT — Prodded by criticism generated from a heated political battle, Northern Kentucky's regional sewer authority is taking steps to change the way it does business.

        Following an edict delivered Wednesday by the region's three top elected county officials — Judge-executives Gary Moore of Boone County, Dick Murgatroyd of Kenton County and Campbell County's Steve Pendery — the Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky board of directors will review the agency's procurement and management systems.

        The board, led by builder Rick Kennedy of Kenton County, will use two other regional agencies — the Northern Kentucky Water District and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport — as models in drafting bylaws and establishing policies for hiring professional services such as those provided by engineers, lawyers and banks.

        The sanitation district's board will also look at how the boards at the airport and water district operate to see whether any changes should be made in the way board officers are appointed or placed on committees. The review is to be completed by late October.

        “We need to review and possibly change the way we are doing things,” said Mr. Pendery, who took the lead Wednesday in calling for changes.

        None of the judge-executives, who met Wednesday to approve the sanitation district's 2003 budget of $84.5 million, was critical of the way the district is operated now.

        But both Mr. Pendery and Mr. Moore said recent public criticisms of how the board and district are operating prompted the review. And last week Mr. Murgatroyd wrote a letter to Mr. Kennedy asking that a set of bylaws be drafted for the district.

        The sanitation district has gotten caught in the crosshairs in what has become a bitter election battle between Mr. Murgatroyd, a Republican in his first term, and lawyer Patrick Hughes, the Democrats' candidate in the November judge-executive race.

        For months Mr. Hughes and the Kenton County Democratic Party have been critical of the sanitation district and Mr. Murgatroyd, who as judge-executive of Northern Kentucky's largest county appoints half of the district's eight board members.

        The Democrats have shown that the sanitation district has no bylaws, has no written policy for procuring professional services and often hires engineers that are political contributors to Mr. Murgatroyd's reelection campaign.

        Lawyer William Robinson, who has represented the sanitation district since the mid-1970s, said he welcomes the review of policies and procedures ordered Wednesday by the judge-executives.

        “It will get the facts out on the table,” Mr. Robinson said.

        Mr. Robinson said the board operates fully within the law and always has, going back through the administrations of Democrat and Republican judge-executives. He said the criticism — carried in recent Enquirer stories about campaign contributions made by sewer district vendors -- is being fueled by politics.

        “It's the silly season,” Mr. Robinson said. “People are involved in politics and I simply have to believe ... folks understand that this is politics. That's fine, except we want the facts and truth put out and let people decide for themselves.”

        Lawyer Mark Guilfoyle, a Democrat advising Mr. Hughes' campaign, called the board's planned review “window dressing” because it still does not address the issue of campaign contributions.

        “What they did today completely misses the mark,” said Mr. Guilfoyle, who attended Wednesday's meeting. “Dick Murgatroyd hasn't done anything to incite better oversight of rate increases or the elimination of tainted political contributions.”

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