Grant PUD race generates large donations, controversy

by CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Staff Writer | December 31, 2018 12:00 AM

EPHRATA — A hard-fought — and expensive, for a public utility district — campaign resulted in two new commissioners on the Grant County PUD commission.

Moses Lake-area resident Judy Wilson defeated incumbent Terry Brewer, Soap Lake, in the November general election; the final tally was 13,028 for Wilson to 10,666 for Brewer. Nelson Cox, Warden, defeated Patti Paris, Moses Lake, for the second seat. Cox received 12,167 votes to 11,630 for Paris. The seat was open; incumbent Bob Bernd didn’t file for reelection.

Candidates sparred over accumulated debt, rates and rate policy, and how rates are calculated. But the two races also became the most expensive PUD races in the state, eventually accounting for at least 71 percent of the total spent in PUD races in Washington in 2018. Total expenditures for the two races, as of Nov. 2, four days before the election, were $152,136.

Cox had the highest expenditure of the four candidates, spending $56,757; Paris, his opponent, spent $29,460. Wilson spent $47,107 to $18,812 for Brewer.

The bulk of the donations to Cox and Wilson came from the Ag Power Users, an advocacy group. The Ag Power Users donated $27,902 each to Wilson and Cox, according to PDC data.

Cox and Wilson cooperated on some of their advertising, and said they thought current PUD rates were unfair to what they called “core customers,” including irrigators, but too accommodating to large industrial customers. They also expressed concern about the PUD’s debt, saying they thought it was too high.

Brewer defended the PUD’s use of bond financing, saying the projects either were mandated or were good uses of the district’s money. Cash and the proper amount of cash has been a topic of conversation at the PUD during his two terms, he said.

Brewer’s largest contributions came from H5 Data Centers, Quincy, and Cyrusone LLC, which each gave him $5,000. The two businesses also gave $5,000 to Paris. Both Paris and Brewer also had “independent expenditures,” defined by the PDC as third parties spending money for or against the candidate without the candidate’s approval or collaboration. The group “People for Jobs/Enterprise Washington” spent $21,819.39 on Paris’ campaign, although the PDC did not say whether the organization was for or against. The same organization spent $14,209.48 in Brewer’s campaign.