Vote 411 Voter Guide, League of Women Voters

Jefferson PUD No.1 #2

The commissioner is a member of the board of commissioners that oversees the Public Utility District. The PUD provides utility services and/or water planning to the customers of the systems it owns and operates. The PUD is empowered to develop and operate any facilities necessary for the distribution of its utility services.

Anthony F (Tony) DeLeo (NP) I am semi retired, still serving as an elected Public Hospital Commissioner, a post I plan to continue if selected as PUD Commissioner

Biographical Information

Party Preference none

Address Po Box 1534, Port Hadlock Wa 98339

Campaign Phone (360) 385-6335

Campaign Email DeLeo4PUD@gmail.com

Campaign Web Site http://DeLeo4PUD@blogspot.com

YouTube Video none

Town where you live Port Hadlock, WA (Irondale area)

Experience:  I have served over 40 years as an elected Commissioner for Jefferson County Public Hospital District No. 2, dba Jefferson Healthcare, an integrated health care delivery system with an annual budget of 77 million dollars and 581 employees.

What do you think have been the most important contributions of the Public Utility District (PUD) to the economic and environmental health of your county in the past six years?

Anthony F (Tony) DeLeo Prior to taking over the power distribution system from Puget Sound Energy, our PUD provided a safe and abundant water supply. In taking most, if not all, of this water for domestic and commercial use from wells, it reduced the environmental impacts that may have resulted from sourcing this water from rivers or streams. Clean, safe water, including an adequate supply for current and future needs, is a necessity for public health and community development. The PUD has continued to move forward consolidating independent systems to better manage supply and water quality. With local ownership of the power utility, the future development of our county is now in our hands. We will be able to help chart our future course in balancing development against maintaining our rural quality of life.

What do you view as the PUD's role in efforts to resolve complex issues of access to water for multiple purposes, including fisheries, agriculture, cities, existing and new residences, and industrial development?

Anthony F (Tony) DeLeo I feel that our PUD has worked hard to consolidate local independent water systems into a grid that will better support current and future needs. As to protecting fisheries, the state has stepped in and taken that roll, resulting in restrictions negatively impacting the water availability for human use. I feel that our PUD should become more involved in assuring that an adequate irrigation water supply is available, particularly to designated agricultural areas, such as Chimacum Valley, to support the growing movement to locally sourced food. Team Jefferson, our local economic development council, supports the growth in this area but has concerns regarding local public policy commitment to support for our farming community, especially water availability. State law, RCW 54.16.030, allows PUD's to develop agricultural irrigation systems and our PUD should step up and take the lead in this area. Locally grown food benefits the health of the environment and our citizens.

What do you view as the role of the PUD in maintaining or improving your county’s water quality?

Anthony F (Tony) DeLeo Aside from the City of Port Townsend, the PUD is becoming the supplier of water, for all uses, within our area. As it incorporates independent local water systems, it has consistently upgraded the quality and safety of their water supplies. The quality and safety of our water supply is a critical issue for the health of our population and the future of our communities. The responsibility for this sits squarely on the shoulders of our PUD Commissioners and the staff they direct.

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The PUD works with government agencies at all levels to address the county’s resource management needs. If elected, what existing programs would you recommend expanding or new ones you’d support initiating?

Anthony F (Tony) DeLeo The PUD should work with our legislators to amend state law RCW 80.60.020 on net metering to broaden the availability to our community. As written, this law sets limits for customer generation of electric power (especially solar). This limit is based on a percentage of utilities peak demand for >>1996<<. Jefferson County has the highest per capita of homes with solar generating systems in the state, nearly 1%. Being so invested in solar, locally generated power, we have exceeded the limits set by this law. We should work with our governor and our representatives to update this law to reflect current peak demand statistics for computation and use state wide numbers to update the net metering system to encourage development of the clean, renewable, environmentally friendly power. Work needs to be done, in concert with the state, on balancing the need to preserve our fisheries resources while allowing adequate water for human use, including agricultural irrigation.

What is your perspective on the issue of climate change and what, if anything, do you think the PUD should be doing about this issue?

Anthony F (Tony) DeLeo Conservation of resources should be first and foremost in the minds of our elected leaders who set and implement policies in this area. They need to be aware of the latest projections of the impacts of the climate changes as well as forecasts of local population growth and resulting demands on our available water and electrical power systems, as well as other resources. Detailed, frequently updated plans for addressing the the new world that climate change could produce is essential for our future. If we plan now, make adjustments sooner than later, we can make the prospect of our future brighter. Our leaders must instill a community awareness of the future that, ignoring warnings on this issue, may bring. This is the time, today, right now, when we will decide what the future will bring. I have grand children and I want their world to be as good as, if not better, than the one in which we currently live