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In the Whatcom County Public Utility District race, incumbent Commissioner Atul Deshmane and newcomer Eddy Ury have emerged as the leaders as vote counting continues.
With 134,842 votes counted in Whatcom County by Thursday evening, Deshmane has 57.7% of the vote in District 2 and Ury has 59.3% in District 1.
The Whatcom County PUD was founded in 1937 and the board of commissioners guides the future of utilities in the region, including water, electricity and broadband. Supported by revenue from its utility customers, the PUD holds the water rights to 53 million gallons per day and serves only one external electric customer, the Phillips 66 refinery in Cherry Point, in addition to its own water treatment plants.
In recent years, the PUD has partnered with the Port of Bellingham and Whatcom County to build infrastructure to enable high-speed internet access in underserved parts of the county.
Goggins and Ury competed in a special election to represent District 1, which spans the southeast half of the county, for a two-year term. Ury has said he will work to advance clean energy, support the economy, improve broadband access and “sustain freshwater supplies for farms, fisheries, tribes, industries and rural residents.”
Deshmane ran to continue holding his seat in District 2, which encompasses the northeastern portion of the county, for a six-year term. Deshmane is an engineer with decades of experience in renewable energy and clean transportation solutions. His government experience began with a stint on the county planning commission before he was elected to the PUD in 2018.
“I’m really happy to be able to continue the work and I’m really happy for Eddy,” Deshmane said on Tuesday night. “We have a lot of issues with building our infrastructure for the public. That’s why the PUD was created. We have some work to do to fulfill that mission and I can’t wait to get back to it.”
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
