PUD candidates talk issues

MOSES LAKE — Grant County PUD commissioner position 2 candidates participated in a forum at the Pillar Rock Grill Wednesday.

Candidates Rich Callahan, Patti Paris and Dale Walker discussed issues before the Moses Lake Rotary.

Each candidate was allowed to review three questions they would be asked at the luncheon.

The questions were:

• Why are you running and what are your qualifications?

• What are the most important issues you are concerned with and what are your goals?

• How do you view the effect of industrial growth and tax base growth on rates?

Dale Walker

Walker addressed the questions first.

He said he spent the past four years going to PUD meetings and speaking with commissioners about issues.

Walker explained his campaign is based on public power principals. Since Vera Claussen left the commission, the shift in power has moved toward the private industry.

“I’d like to see us get back to the public power the PUD has always been,” he said.

Walker said it’s important for the PUD to meet FERC licensing requirements.

He said the task is difficult but the PUD has the staff and resources to do it and ensure that the license is kept in Grant County and the dams controlled by Grant County.

He said budgeting is the one time a year the commission can get involved with the daily operation of the utility. They need to ensure proper funding is given to support operations, he said.

“Our budget is out of control,” Walker continued.

At the end of each year, the PUD has an $80 million surplus of cash, he said. The excess leads to the financial parameters of the budget being skewed.

Walker explained industrial and agricultural power users must work together regarding the growth of their power needs.

Rich Callahan

Callahan spoke next and said he’s been involved with PUD issues for the past 12 years. He served a fiber advisory group.

He said he’s running because he has experience as a manager for his family business and understands how to budget and how to make a profit.

He said the PUD is $1 billion in debt. Due to the debt, rate increases are being considered.

“I think there needs to be changes,” he said.

He said he can bring fiscal responsibility to the PUD.

Callahan said issues important to him include rate stability, getting the budget under control and running the utility like a business.

With regard to the increasing need of power for industrial and agricultural uses, he said they need to work together with citizen rate payers rather than fighting among each other for rate classes. He said industry is important because it provides jobs.

Patti Paris

Paris spoke last and said she is running because she wants to make a difference.

She said she has an understanding of small business needs. She is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Columbia Colstor and has management experience. Paris said she knows how to secure sound financial stability.

She’s had 10 years of experience working at the PUD and understands how to make it operate.

Paris said a business plan must be created for the PUD to prevent them from being reactionary to situations, such as increasing industrial growth.

She said the plan should include budgeting and a goal for the future of power in Grant County.

Paris said she wants the commission to work together as a collaborative team to make decisions affecting the destiny of the county.

She said she is a proponent of industrial growth. She said she wants low rates and sound business. She explained industrial growth relies on a lot of power and has reached capacity. She said there is a way to enjoy what industry has to offer while preserving low rates and commissioners need to work together to find the solution.

For the past 10 years, Paris has attended meetings and is frustrated with the lack of progress among commissioners due to opposing view points preventing them from making decisions.

“Let’s get together and work,” she said.

Questions

Rotary members asked the candidates questions.

The candidates were asked how they feel about union wage scales.

Walker said the PUD has good jobs to offer. He is concerned that people taking those jobs live in Grant County so they spend their wages in the county, he said. Walker said it doesn’t appear the commissioners have much involvement related to wage decisions but there is a concern to get good linemen and other utilities are to be competed with.

Paris said it’s difficult to move wage scales in a union. She said she believes you get what you pay for and that the economy 

justifies not looking at pay raises, but the wages should not be reduced. She said the commissioners should create a procedure to make sure they are getting the quality of work they are paying for.

Callahan said there are inherent risks to being involved with electricity. Rather than cutting their wages, “bloated” management should be evaluated first, he said.

Candidates were asked what they will do about the resolution to build fiber out to 80 percent of customers within five years.

Walker said he supports the program and fiber should be given to anyone who needs it. He said there’s been minimal effort in doing so.

Paris said she was the project manager for the fiber build-out program for a period of time. She explained the goal was to subsidize the cost of reaching customers with fiber by selling dark fiber.

For unknown reasons, dark fiber sales never took off and equipment needed to monitor fiber doesn’t exist yet, Paris said. To get fiber to customers, the cost must be subsidized.

Callahan said there was no plan in place for the build-out.

He said he will put a plan in place and ensure it is followed if he is elected.