During an earlier candidate forum, the county commissioner candidates were asked about their approach to the Regional Jail facility. It was disappointing that none of the candidates suggested any interest in the reduction of crime. The only approach taken was building larger jail facilities with increased operational efficiencies. 

It is time we demand a change in this approach. Rather than concentrating on the big business of incarceration facilities, we need to demand serious efforts to actually reduce crime. Reducing crime is not easy but incarcerating more citizens is not a solution. Family problems, lack of emphasis on education, jobs that don’t provide a living wage along with poverty and homelessness all contribute to crime. 

It is time we devote the effort and resources to provide an education system that provides adequate money and staff to work with our young people. We have many youth who are very intelligent but have no hope for the future and are given no personal encouragement providing the motivation to develop their abilities. At this point we don’t appear to be willing to work towards the needs of each child. If we can put public money into an events center and call it “community development” then why can’t we put more money into an expanded trade school or a more effective education system? 

Jail expansion is a quick fix to give us a feeling of action. It is not a solution to crime. We reduce the services of our Chelan-Douglas Health District but we provide incentives to bring in small time professional sports. We reduce the emphasis on our mental health services but increase the expenditure for our jails to deal with people who break laws sometimes because of mental challenges.  

We are looking through the wrong end our of life’s telescope. I don’t trust our county commissioners to make the correct decisions. Do we get a greater thrill out of putting more men and women in law enforcement uniforms, or should we recognize the value of developing our youth to be productive citizens?  

We all need to get involved and force a new approach to the healing needed in Chelan County. Don’t assume your elected county commissioners always know best.  They need your input.

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The campaign is over and it appears that I am now fully retired. I must admit that it is more satisfying to win an election than to lose. The bottom line is that I had the opportunity to serve you, the customer-owners of the Chelan PUD. Even though the PUD commission is non-partisan, the politics in Chelan County make it difficult for any individual enjoying the label of a liberal to be elected to any position in the area.As a PUD commissioner I challenged the management and at times even aggravated some of my fellow board members. This was not done intentionally but rather resulted from my asking questions in public and standing up for those not being heard. I feel very comfortable that I also shared my concerns and my opinions to best serve the customer-owners of the Chelan PUD. Expressing thoughts that win the praise of the Chelan PUD management is more satisfying to the ego but I don’t think it always expresses the interest and concern of the customer-owners. The real concept of being elected to public office involves strong convictions and a willingness to step forward and work for those who do not have a strong voice in the process.

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The Chelan PUD recently offered three public meetings for the customer-owners to discuss the Rate Structure change.  A total of 15 people participated in the meetings held in Leavenworth, Wenatchee and Chelan. Public meetings generally don’t attract much attention unless they deal with property taxes or perhaps a school district’s proposing to drop athletics. 

Government organizations are required by law to hold public meetings before many decisions can be. That is a positive. The lack of attendance at the Chelan PUD meetings is not unique to the PUD. Meetings are not the first choice for most people in terms of spending an evening away from home. It is my opinion that most of the public meetings don’t change the actions of organizations and therefore many people see no reason to attend. Too often the public meetings present carefully prepared presentations that frequently intimidate the attendees. The fear of revealing one’s ignorance prevents many people from making public statements.  

Unfortunately, it appears as if most public meetings are conducted to meet the law rather than to honestly solicit input.  

Boards and Commissions have a tremendous responsibility to receive input from the people and to utilize the input to inform the management and to formulate decisions. A more effective way of obtaining input might be through emails or bill stuffers. Perhaps the public meetings are a legal requirement but they don’t appear to be the most effective way to generate input.

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  I have been asked about the Governance Policy of the Chelan PUD Commission as it relates to meeting attendance. 

Here are the facts.  During the average year, Chelan PUD Commissioners have approximately 48 regular business meetings and study sessions. In addition, we participate in perhaps another 10 officially scheduled meetings to specifically solicit input from you, the customer-owners.   

The governance policy of the Chelan PUD Board specifies that board members can be excused from meetings by permission of the board.  We can also participate in six meetings by phone when we are away from the area and have access to landlines.  More importantly, during those phone session connections, we have access to all of the power point presentations and can participate in all of the discussions and vote. Nothing is missed except seeing facial expressions, which isn’t the most important aspect of a meeting. An approved phone-in participation is considered being in attendance at the meeting. 

A Chelan PUD commissioner is not considered a full time position. On the average, as commissioners we spend from twenty to as much as forty to fifty hours a week.  Much of the work is done through personal conversations, emails phone calls and meetings with customer-owners. All of the commissioners serve on other committees, boards and in some cases are still self employed.  

During 2008 I was excused from one meeting and I attended one meeting by phone because of the death of my mother. I also attended two other meetings by phone while I was on vacation. I feel it is important to attend meetings by phone when out of the area, even when on vacation.  It is reasonable that commissioners will be away from the area occasionally on family business, recreational activities or participation in other meeting obligations.  

In comparison, one of our commissioners has been excused three times this year and attended three times by phone.  Another board member has been excused four times and attended one meeting by phone. One board member has been excused three times. One board member has been excused twice.  

I believe all the commissioners take meeting attendance seriously. We all have family and other important service obligations, so 100% attendance is not practical. For me, working with and responding to customer-owners is more important than 100% meeting attendance.   

Remember that PUD board meetings are open to the public. I urge you to attend some of them to get a first-hand look at how the business of your PUD is being managed. Meetings are also recorded and can be reviewed on www.chelanpud.org under “board agendas, recordings”  

Werner Janssen

Chelan County PUD Commissioner

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 We currently have County Commissioners who make allowances for housing development on property grades making it dangerous for snowplows or emergency vehicles to service. Could it be that increased tax revenue is driving decisions rather than safety or our future landscape? 

Our County Commissioners didn’t appear to have any interest in making allowances for the development of a replacement for the 9^thStreet Trailer park. Could it be that the lack of tax revenue from trailer parks and the lack of political influence from the residents affected their decision?  

The current County Commissioners saw no need to establish regulations for vacation home rentals which allow large numbers of people to rent homes within residential zones in the county.   

The lack of action from the County Commissioners results in situations like the one I live next to. We have lived in our home on E. Leavenworth Road for 25 years. Several years ago our neighbors opened two vacation home rentals. Those two homes when fully occupied allow up to 32 people to be in residence.  

The septic system may be legal for the number of bedrooms but doesn’t function safely for 32 people. We have had sewage effluent surfacing in our garden, and odor definitely increases when the two homes are fully occupied. The State only regulates motels if they have more than three units. Three units, potentially housing eight people are regulated. Vacation home rentals housing potentially 32 people in two homes are not regulated.  

County Commissioners and their decisions do have impacts on our lives in Chelan County. I intend to cast my vote for Chuck Largent on November 4. I urge you to do likewise.

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Often, when reading a blog, the reader is curious about the blogger. What is the person like? What is the background of the writer which gives credibility to the  blog?  Is the blog based on solid knowledge or is it built on conjecture and imagination?  In thinking about this I decided to outline a brief history of my life and accomplishments for all to see. 

• Age: 69, married, resident of Leavenworth WA
• Born in Montana, Grew up in DeWitt, Nebraska, population 530
• Graduated from Purdue University: Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering.
• Worked with The Boeing Company, Aero-Space Division, aerothermodynamics applied research
• General Manager of Holden Village, up-lake Chelan, (twenty years)
• Served two terms on the School Board of the Cascade School District
• Served Faith Lutheran Congregation, Leavenworth as Lay pastor
• Project Manager and General Manager of the Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat cultural center development and operation, (ten years.)
• Currently serving first four year term as Chelan County Public Utility Commissioner

 I have worked on several boards and committees, including:

•  
  1. Leavenworth Chamber Board
  2. Mission Ridge Public Development Authority board
  3. Sleeping Lady Foundation Board
  4. Review committee for the Wenatchee Performance Arts Center development
  5. Leavenworth Economic Development Committee

 My interest in alternate energy developed during my years at Holden Village and  continues through the present. I have experience involving:

• A 500 KW hydro plant, building
• Operating a solar hot water system for a large laundry system.
• Developing and operating a composting system for a small community
• Establishing vermiculture projects for home use
• Developing a process to rehabilitate mine tailings
• Directing the design and installation of geothermal heating-cooling system utilizing ground source heat pumps.

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We, the residents of Chelan County, are the customer-owners of the Chelan PUD. We have elected a five member commission to work with Management on our behalf. Without strong input from the customers, it is likely that only one recommendation will be made by management, and it is likely to be accepted. 

The Chelan PUD has a strong financial team which is doing an excellent job at presenting information to the Commissioners and to the public. The information presented is based on assumptions approved by the Commissioners. The current assumptions are based on risk factors and probabilities. Based on this information, it is likely that rate increases will occur in 2009, 2010 and perhaps even 2011.  

If we don’t accept small increases during the next three years, the risk increases that a one-time larger surcharge may be needed. The advantage of a surcharge is that it is a non-recurring event. Even a small rate increase is accumulative. Our 2012 electric bill will be 13% higher than what we paid in 2007 if we have 2.5% increases through 2011 added to the 5% increase in 2008. The rate increases are necessitated by our debt ratio and the uncertainties of the operation.  

The new rate structure suggested by the Commission may actually reduce the electrical bill for many customer-owners if they stay under 2000 Kilowatt Hours per month and remain at their current usage.  

The unknowns being dealt with include the actual price of electrical power on the open market, the weather conditions affecting the snowfall and rain, and the pattern of the runoff in the spring and summer. The vast majority of our power depends on snowfall in the Eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in Canada. Our local weather conditions affect the operation of the smaller Chelan Falls hydro. 

You need to make your voice heard. What is your comfort level for risk, and would you rather deal with several small rate increases or take the risk of one larger surcharge?

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After two years of requesting a recycling bin at the PUD, I finally received my first “blue waste basket” to recycle office paper. I still take my aluminum cans home to be recycled. The recent Alcoa newsletter reports that recycling five aluminum cans saves enough energy to equal one gallon of gasoline. We should insist that our place of employment take recycling seriously. 

Recycling is possible in Chelan County.  Too many government officials and business leaders approach recycling with tolerance rather than with enthusiasm. Our resources are finite; even our air and water can be damaged beyond repair. 

The problem lies in the lack of conviction on the part of most of us. Here in Chelan County, one city, Chelan set up a program that works for the people and for the city.  Whether Chelan’s recycling program was initiated by the city officials or by a group of concerned advocates, recycling does happen in Chelan.  

We could also follow the example of Seattle, where residents are charged extra if they don’t recycle. . Here in Chelan County we are charged extra to recycle.  

Anything worth doing takes personal conviction and extra effort. Recycling isn’t going to generate much extra revenue; it will likely add expense for Chelan County and the cities to approach it correctly, but the investment will, over time, benefit us all. It is the right thing to do.  

Are we too arrogant concerning the effects of our long term abuse of our planet? We have been taught by the wrong mentors. We appear to take the attitude that as long as there is sufficient oil or soil or metal or water we have a “God-given right” to use it and abuse it. Recycling should not depend on our political party affiliation.  

Arrogance won’t assure our future. Living in gratitude and discovering the joy of caring for our planet will assure our future. Our grandchildren will either enjoy what they have inherited or grieve that we have left them a dying planet.

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The editorial by Tracy Warner titled “Don’t jump into solar” missed the point. The crowd of solar advocates at a recent PUD meeting necessitated a larger meeting room. The Chelan PUD must acknowledge that an increasing number of its owners are interested in solar energy. I am convinced that the almost totally renewable electrical energy showering its blessings on Chelan County has drawn future thinking people to the area. Our PUD employees are very innovative. I don’t want the Chelan PUD to be a discouragement to our owners. You, our customer-owners are willing to personally invest your money in solar energy. What is being requested of the PUD is to acknowledge solar technology and be sufficiently supportive to provide encouragement to our customer-owners allowing them to move forward with their solar initiative. I’m thinking let’s see the future.

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