Three candidates are vying to stop Clark Public Utilities commissioner Nancy Barnes from her fifth consecutive term in office.
Across the board, the candidates say their focus is to keep a good utility strong and keep rates from rising while embracing emerging technologies.
The position lasts for six years and pays $2,285 per month plus full benefits. Barnes holds the District 2 seat, which encompasses southeastern Clark County.
Barnes has held the position since 1992. In 2010, she narrowly defeated Mike Lyons by 641 votes out of 117,715 cast.
Lyons is back in the race to unseat her, as are Donna Roberge and Bob Cone.
Barnes said her knowledge, experience and track record make her a valuable asset to Clark customers.
Her other professional experience includes a stint as president of the Washington Public Utility District Association and serving as a board member of the American Public Power Association, among others.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism from Brigham Young University.
“I believe we’ve got to keep a great thing going,” she said. “I don’t believe I have any opponents that have a true interest or understanding of this position.”
In particular, she pointed to Lyons, who serves as a Clark County Fire District 5 commissioner, saying a Clark Public Utilities commissioner needs a singular focus.
“One of my opponents is already in elected position,” she said. “I think you have to focus on this … so when staff makes a presentation you don’t just rubber stamp it.”
She said the utility is doing well at putting customers first and providing stable and low-cost power. She argued that maintaining those things as the electric industry transitions to new technologies will be challenging for the utility in the future.
“My role (as a commissioner) is understanding it, making good decisions and ensuring that we work with our customers and understand customers,” she said.
Lyons decided to run and put his background in mechanical engineering to work to ensure Clark Public Utilities makes sound decisions in the future.
Aside from his current position as a fire commissioner, Lyons was a captain of the Vancouver Fire Department and a quality control engineer at a Western Electric in Vancouver, among others.
Lyons holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from University of Portland.
He is focused on maintaining the utility’s electricity and water supplies and keeping prices low and ensuring the public are educated on upcoming legislation and voter initiatives.
“I’m interested in making sure the public is aware of what the effects of initiatives are,” he said.
Lyons commended the utility’s staff and didn’t see the need for changes in its operation.
“(Clark Public Utilities) does a good job of trying to find a mix of power that results in the best prices that they can manage,” Lyons said. “I don’t have any issues with them.”
He is interested in exploring renewable energy options, but says using them could affect customers’ rates.
“It’s going to cost more money and people need to recognize that,” he said.
Roberge is running because of her drive to “make a difference in organizations” and the belief that “One should not make a career out of (elected) positions.”
She holds a bachelor’s degree from Miami University, a master’s from Bowling Green University, and completed doctoral courses in public admin and education at the University of Oregon.
She also attended American University in Cairo, Egypt on a Hays-Fulbright scholarship.
Roberge was a commissioner of the Port of Camas-Washougal. She has also served on numerous boards and commissions in Clark County.
She says her professional training prepared her to do complex analyses of charts and information used by the Clark Public Utility staff.
“I’m getting excited about energy. I love to volunteer and make a difference and I believe in some sort of term limits,” she said.
Roberge said she wants the utility to take a proactive approach to the future, as opposed to the reactive approach she sees them taking now.
“Instead of just waiting for something to come, start developing some scenarios the public can chew on and they can be ready when some technological breakthrough comes,” she said.
“If I were a commissioner I’d certainly very strongly request that kind of research to make sure they’re on the cutting edge of the potential changes that are coming down the road in energy,” she said.
Roberge commended the utility’s track record of low cost electricity and water.
“We all appreciate that because we all pay our bill,” she said.
Cone is running for commissioner because he believes the utility should focus more on addressing climate change and reducing its dependence on fossil fuels.
He serves as a court appointed guardian ad litem for children. His professional background includes the United States Navy, a service representative for the Internal Revenue Service and geriatric care management.
He believes his background of previous work on various committees will enable him to work well with other commissioners and Clark Public Utilities staff.
Cone holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University Long Beach.
Clark generates about 40 percent of its power from the natural-gas fueled River Road Generating Plant.
“The young people got a raw deal. I got to thinking I should do something for them,” he said. “Global warming and climate change is going to be a real problem down the road and nobody seems to be doing anything about it.”
Cone commended Clark Public Utilities for being well-run and for its work on assisting the low-income and doing watershed improvements. But he also said the utility has a good record of producing cheap power in the short term, but it hasn’t invested in localized energy production and storage in the form of solar panels, wind turbines and batteries.
“In order to take advantage of renewables you need storage capacity on the grid. That’s something they’re not willing to invest in,” he said. “They’re waiting for federal and state money that might never come.”
As a commissioner he’d push for more of an emphasis on renewable energy.
