Watch the debate of the two candidates for Thurston PUD commissioner (district 3) here:

Something they keep on coming back to is whether the PUD should branch out from water and become an electric company as well. I wasn't sure of either's position at the end of the debate, I just got that both know that its something they need to consider.

Something to consider is the impact of establishing new PUDs to replace Puget Sound Energy provided electricity. The Washington PUD Association says PUDs could save money:

With access to low-cost power from the Bonneville Power Administration, a new electric-service public utility district would be able to charge rates up to 20 percent lower than rates projected for Puget Sound Energy, according to a study released today by the Washington Public Utility Districts Association.

The analysis by EES Consulting, a Kirkland-based management consulting firm specializing in the energy and other natural-resource-based industries, found that PSE rates have gone up sharply over the past several years – nearly 25 percent since 2002, or almost twice the national average.

PSE now has the highest rates of any electric utility in Washington, with the exception of a small utility serving the islands of San Juan County, and is asking the Utilities and Transportation Commission for permission to raise residential rates another 8.25 percent.

Probably the lowest profile, but weirdest, local election is the one for Thurston Public Utility District commissioner.

In most local elections, the logic of who votes for what is pretty straight forward. You live within the boundaries of a particular government, you pay taxes (or fees) to that entity, you vote for who leads and you receive services.

In the case of the Thurston PUD, this isn't typically the case. The vast majority of the people voting for PUD commissioner don't receive any services from the district. And, about a quarter of the people who do receive services, have no vote.

Here are the numbers for the utility (my entire worksheet here), which currently provides water to a variety of communities in and outside of Thurston County (data source):

• Total number of people served by Thurston PUD:6,638
• Total outside Thurston County: 1,431
• Total inside Thurston County, minus the PUD's largest customer, Tanglewilde: 995
• Number of people in Thurston County receiving water from a public utility (like a city), but not the Thurston PUD: 140,373
• PUD's rank among Thurston County water providers: 4th (just ahead of Yelm at 5,205)

So, the fourth largest water utility has the largest number of voters for the limited services it does provide. To me, this seems like a backwards sort of local agency, one that should be refocussed in terms of who actually votes in its elections.