Schaapman leading in PUD commissioner race

QUINCY - Incumbent Grant PUD commissioner Larry Schaapman, of Quincy, is leading in his race for a full six-year term in unofficial election results released Tuesday night.

Schaapman's opponent, Robert Hogg, of Quincy, dropped out of the race, saying he lacked the time and resources for the position. Hogg moved to the area earlier this year to work at a Quincy-area business.

Schaapman had received 7,665 votes (66 percent) to 3,880 (34 percent) for Hogg as of Tuesday night. Updated vote totals will be released Wednesday.

Schaapman said he "didn't have any big agendas or anything." One of his goals, he said, is to ensure customers understand the policy adopted last year to bring rates for each customer class more in line with the actual cost of their service.

The PUD completed a "cost of service" study earlier this summer, and that information will be a big part of future rate decisions, he said. It's part of the commissioners' job to explain why it matters, he said.

Schaapman was appointed to the position in 2012, and he said one of the projects that prompted him to apply was broadband service. In his opinion wireless might be a better and cheaper alternative than fiber for some areas of the county. "I would like to see broadband throughout the whole county, and that everybody has access to it," he said.