EVERETT—Snohomish Public Utility District honored outgoing Commissioner Rebecca Wolfe with a reception following the final meeting of the year on Tuesday, December 17. Wolfe did not seek re-election this year to retire and spend time with her family.
“She came into the utility with no background in the industry but quickly picked it up,” fellow Commissioner Toni Olson of Everett (District 3) told the Lynnwood Times. “I was very impressed because this is a very technical industry. She brought with her expertise in environmental affairs and government planning; she is a delightful person [to work with].”
Wolfe swore in as the District 2 Snohomish PUD Commissioner on January 8, 2019. She holds degrees in English (bachelor’s and master’s degrees), Organizational Leadership (PhD), and Environmental Law and Policy (Masters). She worked as a career educator in K-12, college, and university settings. Commissioner Wolfe has served on the City of Edmonds’ Economic Development Commission, Tree Board, and Mayor’s Climate Protection Committee.
Her other community service includes Carpe Diem West: Healthy Headwaters; The Alliance for Democracy; National Audubon Society, Education Director for San Juan Islands chapter; Sierra Club: Local, State, and National levels; and Our Children’s Trust, where she was a volunteer and advocate for the Public Trust Doctrine and a healthy atmosphere.
Follow Commissioner Sidney (Sid) Logan of Arlington (District 1), shared at the reception Wolfe’s legacy with the utility of environmental stewardship.
“I would like to thank Commissioner Wolfe for her six years of service, her passion that she brought to this work and passion she has in everything and her concern for the environment,” Logan said.
Incoming Commissioner, Lynnwood Vice President Julieta Altamirano-Crosby who secured the Snohomish County PUD District 2 seat in November with 53 percent of the County vote, shared with the Lynnwood Times that it is going to be difficult to fill Wolfe’s shoes and truly appreciates her mentorship.
“She is my mentor who I admire a lot,” Altamirano-Crosby told the Lynnwood Times. “Rebecca is a knowledgeable, kind, and professional person. It is going to be difficult to fill her shoes. I am proud to be joining a respectful and professional board to serve.”
Commissioner Wolfe thanked the team of Snohomish PUD for their talents in guidance over the last six years she has served on the Board. She shared their combined accomplishments reflecting that now the groundwork is set to accomplish the utility’s strategic priorities.
“Toni keeps asking, ‘Why are you leaving?’,” Commissioner Wolfe said. “You have to make way for younger people like Julieta. She has much to offer; she is a bridge builder with other communities and has a long history of good work.”
Snohomish PUD is a consumer-owned utility that was created by the voters of Snohomish County in 1936 for the purpose of providing electricity and water service. The utility began proving electric service in 1949, when it purchased the electric distribution system operated by Puget Sound Power & Light Company in Snohomish County and on Camano Island.
The PUD is governed by a Board of Commissioners, which is composed of three local citizens elected for their district on a nonpartisan basis by the people of Snohomish County and Camano Island. The commissioners establish PUD policies and rates, guide operations, and appoint the CEO/general manager to direct 1,079 employees in the day-to-day operation of the utility.
Regular Board of Commissioners meetings are held twice monthly and open to the public.
Snohomish PUD served an average 377,269 customers in 2023, making it the 12th largest consumer-owned utility in the United States and the second largest in the Pacific Northwest. It has an Electric System Operating Budget of $788.9 million, a Generation System Operating Budget of $15.5 million, and a Water System Operating Budget of $18.6 million.
In 2023, the PUD sold 8.3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to its customers. Of that total, 47% of the electricity was consumed by residential customers, 29% by commercial customers, and 5% by industrial customers. The rest was resold to other utilities through the wholesale power market.
Snohomish County PUD last year invested $13.4 million in direct funding of conservation programs; $33.16 million in non-hydro renewable purchases; and $19.9 million in needs-based assistance, including $9.59 million in utility grants provided in partnership with the Washington State legislature.
Author: Mario Lotmore
