PORT HADLOCK — Jefferson County Public Utility District General Manager Jim Parker presented the two PUD commissioners with a resolution and 90-day time frame in which they must fill the District 1 PUD commissioner seat left vacant by the death of Dana Roberts.
During the PUD commissioners regular meeting Wednesday night, Parker told commissioners Wayne King of Gardiner and Ken McMillen of Port Hadlock they would have until early February to make the appointment.
“I would assume that the first meeting in January you would set up meetings with individual candidates,” Parker told the commissioners.
The commissioners also looked over a resolution Parker prepared that is needed to appoint the replacement commissioner. No action was taken on the resolution.
The PUD commissioners are accepting applications until Dec. 31 for the position left vacant with the Nov. 13 death of Roberts, who was serving his first six-year term when he suffered a heart attack and later died.
If the PUD commissioners cannot agree on an applicant, then state law passes the responsibility to the Jefferson County commissioners, who would be required to act within 180 days.
As of Wednesday, three applications have been filed for the seat.
They are from Barney Burke, a reporter leaving The Leader weekly newspaper in Port Townsend at the end of the year; Bob Sokol, a former Port Townsend City Council member and Port of Port Townsend commissioner; and Bill Wise, chairman of Team Jefferson, the county’s economic development agency through Washington State University Extension in Port Hadlock.
Wise co-facilitated the group, Citizens for Local Power, that successfully campaigned last year to get voter approval authorizing the PUD to consider taking over the electric service provided by Puget Sound Energy.
The agency is examining its option authorized by voters in November 2008 to get into the electric service business and is now negotiating with PSE to take over that company’s facilities and service for more than 18,000 customers in East Jefferson County.
The PUD now serves 3,500 water customers and 200 sewer connections.
The PUD commissioners’ appointee will serve from the date of appointment until the November 2010 general election.
Applications for the open PUD commissioner position can be delivered to the PUD office at 230 Chimacum Road, or mailed to PUD No. 1, P.O. Box 929 Port Hadlock, WA, 98339.
________
Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@ peninsuladailynews.com.
