The Jefferson County Public Utility District (PUD) took one of the final steps in replacing former general manager Jim Parker Feb. 23, when two of three of the PUD commissioners voted to offer the position to Larry Dunbar.

Dunbar had served as energy services director for the City of Ellensburg since 2012. Prior to Ellensburg, Dunbar was deputy director of power resources in Port Angeles for 12 years.

Jeff Randall, PUD board president, explained that Wayne King, board vice president, had been waylaid by the flu and thus was unable to attend not only that morning’s public meeting, but also the previous evening’s executive session, Feb. 22.

Kenneth Collins, PUD board secretary, moved that the PUD should enter into negotiations with Dunbar, citing his 34 years of “progressively more responsible experience” in the fields of electrical, water, sewer, stormwater and telecommunications, which, Collins asserted, demonstrates Dunbar’s long-term strategic thinking.

A proposed salary for Dunbar, 57, who currently lives in Sequim, was not available. Parker was making $140,000 a year after working 24 years with the PUD. Parker signed a separation agreement last September.

‘DIVERSITY OF OPINIONS’

Collins cited the “diversity of opinions” in Jefferson County on smart meters and other issues, and touted what he sees as Dunbar’s skills in working with different groups and communities, as well as what Collins deemed “very solid” internal management skills.

“He’s soft-spoken,” Collins said of Dunbar. “He listens well. He thinks before he speaks. He’s not inclined to escalate conflicts or be rattled easily.”

Collins not only praised the interpersonal skills he saw in Dunbar during his candidate interviews, but also cited the aspects of Dunbar’s résumé that he feels make for a good fit with the Jefferson County PUD.

“He likes smaller organizations,” Collins said of Dunbar. “He’s worked in the area before. He has family in the area. He’d like to get back to this area, and his desire to take this position stems from viewing it as a challenge, rather than a way to add a layer to his pension.”

Collins was also impressed that Dunbar showed he had done his homework on the Jefferson County PUD.

Dunbar did research on the PUD’s numbers of employees and customers, as well as the numbers of miles between those customers, and told Collins that Jefferson County was “understaffed” for a PUD of comparable size.

Randall praised Dunbar not only for being able to recite relatively obscure statistics off the top of his head, but also for being able to make his technical details decipherable.

“It’s very easy to throw terms out there and not make yourself clear,” said Randall, who appreciated Dunbar’s “deliberate and patient” explanations. “He showed his depth of knowledge across an array of issues.”

Randall added that Dunbar’s entire career has been spent in Washington state, and anticipated that, as general manager, Dunbar would not merely direct the operations of the PUD, but would take an active hand in them.

NARROWED FROM 18

PUD advisory panel member Phil Otness complimented both of the two finalists, who were among an original pool of 30 applicants. That group of applicants was winnowed down to 18 by the selection committee, with only five interviewed Jan. 22-23.

While Otness views both finalists, who were interviewed again Feb. 22, as well qualified for the position, he pointed out that Dunbar had called for the Jefferson County PUD to consider future plans that might not rely so heavily on the Bonneville Power Administration.

Fellow advisory panel member Tom Engel agreed with Otness and Collins that Dunbar’s “long-range approach” should serve the PUD well, and echoed Collins’ assessment of Dunbar’s conflict-resolution skills, predicting, “If things get hot, he’ll know to go slow.”

A third panel member, George Yount, cited his own experience as a former manager and environmental mediator to compliment what he saw in Dunbar, but also in Scott Fry, managing director of the recruiting firm Mycoff, Fry & Prouse.

Yount lauded Fry for doing “an excellent job” of discerning which candidates’ experiences and skill sets were best suited to the Jefferson County PUD, and characterized Dunbar as someone with a knack for resolving complex issues and “an eagerness to take on rabbit holes.”

Fry reciprocated, praising the PUD’s selection process as a successful “team effort,” and commending acting general manager Kevin Streett for his work in the interim, a sentiment echoed by the PUD commissioners and advisory panel members.

Dan Toepper of Port Ludlow, one of the members of the public in attendance, asked how many years the PUD could expect from Dunbar, given that he’s already worked for 34 years.

While Collins declined to make a firm prediction, he anticipates that the PUD could get another 10 years out of him.

“I think he’s got a lot of vitality,” Randall said. “He’s in his prime, and he clearly values this place.”

Yount drew laughter from the crowd when he quipped, “We’ll get more years from him than from our meters.”