Toepper relies on advice, keeps mind open on PUD

Wants to connect public with utility

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Now that he’s sworn in and attending meetings of the Jefferson County Public Utility District’s board of commissioners, one of Dan Toepper’s biggest challenges is keeping up with his correspondence and directing it toward the right channels.

“I’m trying to keep my peanut butter separate from my chocolate,” Toepper said with a laugh. “I’m checking two phones and two email accounts, and I’m having to remind people to send things to the phone and the right email to make sure I’m complying with the rules and regs for public records.”

Toepper takes seriously his trips to Olympia, where he spends three days a month being briefed on subjects such as public records laws, the Open Public Meetings Act and other aspects of the Revised Code of Washington.

While it’s made his day-to-day life a bit more hectic, Toepper chalks it up to “learning a new routine,” and he’s asking for the public to be patient, not only with himself but with the PUD.

“I won’t always be able to get back to folks right away,” Toepper said. “And the PUD has a lot of work to do as an organization, even barring external influences.”

Although Toepper has never held elected office before, he’s not coming into the PUD without experience, since he served on its citizens advisory board for two years. He credited that time with teaching him many of the utility’s inner workings.

“There haven’t really been that many surprises, since I’ve been going to PUD meetings for so long, and I’ve talked to previous commissioners, all of whom have given me good counsel over the years,” Toepper said. “Barney Burke told me, ‘You don’t realize how busy you’ll be,’ and it’s true, because this is not really a part-time job.”

Toepper also expressed his gratitude to Wayne King, his immediate predecessor in the District 3 seat.

“Wayne has always given me good advice, and we had a good transition,” Toepper said. “One of the things he told me was, ‘Trust but verify,’ because it can be too easy to take someone’s word without doing follow-up of your own.”

Still, Toepper emphasized he’s coming into his new position “without an agenda,” beyond being able to assess the organizational structure of the PUD from within, and doing what he can to facilitate the exchange of information between the PUD and the public.

“I’m paying attention to the rates and the budget,” Toepper said. “I’m here to help the PUD be the best it can be by providing a high quality level of service for a reasonable cost. And while my available time is a constraint, I want to be accessible and approachable to the public.”

Toepper is reticent to make too many predictions about what the future of the PUD’s service might entail. He acknowledged the possibilities of further explorations of broadband internet and solar power, but he also cited his six-year term as reason not to get “too out in front of my own skis.”

“I’m trying not to have too many expectations going into this,” Toepper said. “I’ve talked with Kevin Streett since before he became assistant manager, and I would ask him, ‘What is it that I don’t know about what I don’t know?’ That’s what I’d like, for the public to let me know I should be looking for as well.”

Seb Eggert, one of three new members who was appointed to the PUD’s citizens advisory board in December, interviewed both Toepper and his opponent for the District 3 commissioner seat, Tom Brotherton, when they were still running for office.

“I’d been friends with Dan’s father, Dick, since 1977, but I didn’t get to know Dan until just two years ago, when the PUD was getting ready to replace the electric meters,” Eggert said. “At that time, Dan was a member of the citizens advisory board, and one of only two voices that insisted that the public be included in the debate. This showed me that he had no particular agenda and was interested in serving the public, rather than going along with the advice of industry advocates.”

Between that past experience and his interview of Toepper prior to his election, Eggert deemed him “a critical thinker” who is “open-minded to alternate views” and has “demonstrated his commitment” to the PUD since its inception.

“He speaks clearly and honestly,” Eggert said. “His background as a blue-collar worker has equipped him with real-life, hard-earned lessons on practical matters of physical infrastructure development and repairs. He’s actively participated in public service without regard for personal gain, and his greatest strength is his non-political dedication to the betterment of our community.”

Even as he declined to offer comment on much of the PUD’s current doings, Toepper said he was glad to learn “how far along we are” in the search for a new chief financial officer.

Looking ahead, Toepper quoted football coach Vince Lombardi — “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence” — as he pledged to do his part to ensure the PUD would “always reach higher” in its goals.