The governing board of the State Power Authority hired an Amherst energy executive Tuesday as its chief operating officer.

The hiring of Roger B. Kelley marks the first time a Western New Yorker will run the authority since the Niagara Power Project, one of the nation's largest hydropower plants, was built a half-century ago.

The hope is that Kelley will reform the New York Power Authority and bring more of a Western New York perspective to the job as president and chief executive officer. However, he was cautious in a phone interview shortly after his appointment.Kelley said it would be "premature" to declare any objectives until he has had a chance to "assess the departments and people."

While he said it was "not a misplaced hope," he would bring a local perspective to the job. Kelley added that "the power authority at the end of the day is the New York Power Authority, not the Western New York Power Authority or the Massena Power Authority."

Kelley in time is expected to challenge the status quo, however.

Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer has made it clear he wants to reform the authority, and Kelley was the governor's choice for the job. The new governor cut a deal with the authority's governing board that sees trustees staying on -- he had been pressing for resignations -- in exchange for President Timothy Carey's stepping aside in favor of Kelley.

"I recommended that the board consider Roger Kelley because of his extensive and impressive accomplishments in the electric utility industry," Spitzer said in a prepared statement.

Kelley, 55, has worked in the private utility business for 33 years.

"I bring a good mix of experience to the position," he said.

He grew up in Caribou, Maine, and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from Northeastern University in Boston. He began his career with New York State Electric & Gas Corp., then moved on to Empire Energy Corp., Commercial Union Energy Corp. and LS Power Corp. before joining Fortistar, a White Plains-based firm, in 1992.

He has been senior vice president and chief technical officer for the past decade and works out of the company's Lockport office. He also is a board member and past chairman of the Independent Power Producers of New York, a trade organization.

Kelley will make $235,000 a year. Like his predecessors, he will serve at the pleasure of the board, as opposed to a contracted period. He will start June 25 and take over the following week, upon Carey's departure.

Kelley said he will work primarily out of authority headquarters in White Plains but expects to also maintain an office in the Buffalo area, where he has lived since 1991.

"I'm going forward with a clean slate and an open mind," he said.