What are They Smoking at PUD?

Over the past few months a small group closely attuned to the PUD's inner working's have tried through local papers to alert our public - the owners of this PUD - to a massive multimillion dollar throwaway affecting every light bill for years to come. Without this fiasco, everyone's bill would see reduction.

The only way available to stop this was public disclosure of what PUD Commissioners Diana Thompson and Ron Hatfield were up to and hope the public -you - would bring pressure and stop them. This hasn't happened.

Though several assertions have been made alleging misdeeds by administrators, commissioners Thompson and Hatfield refused to investigate the evidence presented.

Now the other shoe drops. The only consistent supporter of this multimillion dollar hole the commissioners are throwing us into wants to make sure the grow-lights on her projected pot farm don't go out.

Vicki Larson of Tokeland was given unlimited time and encouraged by Commissioner Thompson during every Raymond meeting to testify about the poor service Tokeland was getting from Grays Harbor PUD. She claimed poor voltage, frequent outages, having to replace computers and electric devices, seagulls, trees, wind knocking down power lines (it's Tokeland you know). Thompson, as chairman, allowed her to personally attack other presenters opposed to the unnecessary Tokeland extension.

Now it comes out that not only is Larson petitioning the PUD and Pacific County to build a marijuana-growing operation in Tokeland, but that we have already subsidized it through our light bills.

In 2006, PUD Manager Doug Miller put through a land purchase from Vicki Larson for $165,000 on two acres of wetland in Tokeland for a substation for a line that had not even been proposed yet. The land in marginal swamp is not build-able without special permits.

It's county assessed true value is only $3,000. The ratepayers, us, paid $165,000 for a $3,000 two-acre swamp. A $162,000 difference is one heck of a subsidy in getting this "straight-laced" lady's grow operation cranked up.

She's now before our county commission trying to stuff this down their throats. I suppose the new argument may be that since I talked our worthy PUD commissioners into wasting millions, you should be equally stupid and fall in line.

I personally hope this doesn't happen. The PUD's irresponsible action is enough of a black mark on Pacific County's intelligence. It's already dumb use. We don't need to go for dumber.

Dick Sheldon,

Ocean Park, Wash.