PORT TOWNSEND — An attorney who has managed two successful bond issue campaigns declared for a position on the Jefferson County Public Utility District commission this week.
“I feel that the PUD needs improvement and that improvement needs to come from the top,” said Jeff Randall, an agent with Power Trip Energy and a Port Townsend attorney.
“I believe that the public should be offered choices when important positions like PUD commissioner come up, and I believe I have unique qualifications for the job.”
Randall, 49, is running for the District 1 position now occupied by Barney Burke, 60, who has not declared an intention to run for a second full term.
Randall advocated for two successful bond measures in Port Townsend: a $3.6 million improvement bond for the Mountain View complex in 2015 and a $40.9 million bond for a new school at the current Grant Street Elementary School site.
Voter approved both measures by more than 70 percent.
In his capacity as a co-founder of the citizen advocacy group Friends of Public Power, Randall has regularly attended PUD meetings over the past three years, he said.
“After attending several meetings, I have been disappointed with the lack of transparency,” he said.
“I think they’ve done a poor job reaching out to customers and have made some very poor choices in their use of funds.”
Taking issue
Burke takes issue with Randall’s contention that the PUD board doesn’t listen to customers.
“You have to be a good listener and take responsibility to be an effective PUD commissioner,” Burke said
“If someone sends me an angry email or something, I get back to them right away and say, ‘Thanks for sending that,’ and try to solve their problems.”
He deals with the little things, he said; when he got a complaint about a defective streetlight, he passed it on to the crew, who determined the wrong bulb had been installed.
Friends of Public Power
Randall is the second candidate sponsored by the Friends of Public Power. In 2014, the group supported the election of District 2 PUD Commissioner Ken Collins.
Randall said that if he wins the election, he will cut back his job schedule from four days a week to three.
Randall said his employment in the solar industry would not compromise his actions on the board “as long as my decisions don’t put money in my pocket.
“I don’t believe we have any PUD commissioners in Washington state who have direct experience in the solar industry, which is unfortunate,” he said.
“There is strong interest in solar power and renewable energy in Jefferson County, and I look at my experience in the renewable energy industry as an asset for the position of PUD commissioner.”
Randall said he isn’t running against Burke but is running for the position “to give people a choice and take the opportunity to give them positive information about the PUD.”
Burke’s background
Burke, who worked in city planning and economic development for 20 years in California, moved to Port Townsend in 2000 and worked for nearly 10 years as a weekly newspaper reporter.
He said he had already made the decision to resign when PUD Commissioner Dana Roberts died in office in 2009.
Burke was appointed to fill out Roberts’ term and ran unopposed for the position in 2010.
Burke also is a photographer, a landlord and a radio show host.
Burke said he hasn’t decided whether to run again and that declaring his candidacy — even disclosing that he had made up his mind — violates FCC regulations and would require him to relinquish his radio show until after the election.
Candidate filing week is May 16-20.
If more than two candidates file for the position, the top two vote-getters in the Aug. 2 primary will face off in the Nov. 8 general election.
If only two file, they will advance directly to the general election.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
