TACOMA: Council can't judge TPU director's job

Let me establish my T-Town creds: Born here, lived here my whole life, raised a family and retired from Tacoma Public Utilities, Water Division, after 42 years of service.

Perhaps this last item is most important in the context of my issue. I have worked for and with nearly half a dozen TPU directors, including incumbent Bill Gaines, over the span of my career. Does that make me qualified to evaluate the director’s performance? Absolutely not!

The role of CEO in a utility like ours is nearly unique. Our combined services are not industry standard. We break the model in several areas: belt-line rail and ownership of potable water but not wastewater are two examples. Not to mention the whole Click! issue.

In that context, how can the City Council presume to know so much more than somebody who’s worked in the industry for decades? These individuals, and specifically Councilman Anders Ibsen, in my eyes, are more concerned with a show of deference from Gaines than hard truths. That’s pure hubris.

I shudder to think what will happen if this trend continues with a change to a strong mayor government.

This story was originally published September 24, 2015 at 3:31 PM with the headline "TACOMA: Council can't judge TPU director's job."