In Our View: Powerful Credentials

Clark Public Utilities has attained a performance level that all public agencies and governments should aspire to match, yet there always is room for improvement. Because of that, The Columbian’s Editorial Board endorses incumbent Byron Hanke and challenger Jane Van Dyke in the primary race for Clark Public Utilities commissioner from District No. 3.

Michael Piper and Bill Hughes also are on the ballot for the primary, and Piper in particular offers a worthy challenge. As always, endorsements are merely suggestions designed to foster discussion among the electorate, but when it comes to Clark Public Utilities, it is difficult to find fault with the performance that Hanke has helped oversee during a pair of six-year terms on the board. “I think the utility is in good shape and has been in good shape for many years,” Hanke told the Editorial Board. “It’s your utility; it’s called a customer service utility.”

With Hanke on the three-member board, Clark Public Utilities has lived up to that mantra. Since 2002, residential electricity rates have been raised just three times, and the most recent increase in 2011 was 1 percent. According to Hanke, the agency’s annual operating costs per customer are $326, compared with a statewide average of $587 for public utilities, and Clark Public Utilities has the lowest employee-to-customer ratio in the state.

Perhaps most impressively, the company repeatedly has earned the J.D. Power Award for customer satisfaction among midsized utilities in the West. As challenger Hughes said while meeting with the Editorial Board, “It’s hard to improve on perfection, so what am I going to criticize?” Hanke added: “We have a really strong culture. We are a voice for the people; we listen. We have reliable service, reasonable rates, financial security. I see no issues.” Such self-aggrandizement from a political candidate typically is worth an eye roll or two, but the performance of Clark Public Utilities supports those assertions.

With that said, it should be noted that Van Dyke presents a worthy challenger for Hanke. Having previously served on the commission from 1984-2002, Van Dyke helped lay the foundation for the ongoing success of Clark Public Utilities. She has been involved with numerous community leadership organizations and has a broad knowledge and understanding of the community’s needs and the function of the commission. Van Dyke stresses that while the utility has performed well, issues lie ahead as the nation’s energy grid undergoes changes. “The bad years, it’s going to be difficult,” she said. “What’s your goal if you’re setting aside money for a reserve fund? I think the utility has not taken advantage of its opportunity to prepare for the future.”

Piper also approaches the job with an eye to the future. “I like to describe myself as an environmentalist,” he said, advocating for the use of light-emitting diodes in streetlights and an increase in charging stations for electric automobiles.

Changes will be necessary as conservation efforts increasingly collide with consumer needs throughout the country. But in the Northwest, which is blessed with an abundance of hydroelectric power and a lack of reliance upon coal-fired electricity, the issues are much less complex for public utilities. Clark Public Utilities has demonstrated forward-thinking by setting aside $50 million for a rate-stabilization fund.

For Clark Public Utilities to continue its near-perfect performance, Hanke and Van Dyke offer the strongest options in this primary election.

Coming Wednesday: 49th Legislative District, Pos. 2