Letters to the Editor Elect Stuebe in 17th District
As a former Washougal resident, I am pleased to see that David Stuebe — a proven leader — seeks to represent the 17th Legislative District in Olympia.
He is tested as a colonel in the Marine Corps and supporter for economic development. He will be a strong link to our state initiatives and Southwest Washington’s quality of life.
Lucia Worthington,
Vancouver
Skamania County PUD Commission candidate to host meetups
My name is Maria Mel Steele. I have lived in the Pacific Northwest and worked as a public civil servant in natural resources since 1980. Skamania has been my home for 16 years. I’m now retired after working in the Bonneville Power administration building in Portland as a planning forester for the Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs Northwest Regional Office. The areas of public policy I’m personally most passionate about these days are Skamania County Public Utility District’s (PUD) management policies.
The Public Utility District is self-regulated by local PUD commissioners. In Skamania, the private sector’s playbook has been driving up PUD rates, and ratepayers are outraged.
The incumbent PUD commissioner, Dan Boyes, admits to raising rates and has his excuses. The truth is he was appointed originally and then promptly voted in and completely changed PUD rate policies. Then-PUD General Manager John Goodman imposed this “rate hearing” in 2019 cloaked as “cost of service study.” This was developed by a private company, FCS Group, under the directives of John Goodman.
