Interesting race for KPUD commissioner

One of the more interesting races this Nov. 8 may surprise you. It's for the six-year nonpartisan term for Kitsap County Public Utility District 1.

Incumbent Debra Lester has served since 2017, but she is being challenged by former Winslow mayor Alice Tawresey. Both are college educated, are very involved in community service and have extensive professional experience on various boards.

So their differences are really spelled out in their statements in the voters pamphlet.

Lester said in her first term she made common-sense solutions to environmental challenges. She mentioned replacing the Port Gamble sewer with a Membrane Bioreactor returning treated/clean water into freshwater systems and reopening 90 acres of shellfish beds. She said KPUD provided Wi-Fi sites for schools and citizens during the pandemic and worked with the state on public broadband and getting $11 million in funding. KPUD went from 200 to almost 800 internet miles, connecting 1,350 residences and 350 businesses. They hired the first woman KPUD general manager, moved to biennial budgeting and created an in-house construction team, saving taxpayer money.

Tawresey said managing change takes organization, ideas, leadership and listening to voters, and she has the nonpartisan experience to do the job. She said water and connectivity are so important, especially now that so many people are working from home. She said expanding fiber optics to remote parts of the county need to be emphasized as much as in populated centers. Leadership, not management, is what makes a board effective, she said. That requires expertise that she has as an active 50-year resident of Kitsap County. As a commissioner, she vows to conserve water and communication systems, both natural and monetary, for property owners, renters and voters in the county.