A Clallam County PUD commissioner has resigned, creating a vacancy in the three-member board that must be filled in the next 90 days.
Rick Paschall, 65, submitted a one-sentence resignation letter in late February, indicating his last day was to be March 2, PUD Communications Manager Nicole Hartman said.
No reason was given for his resignation, she said.
Paschall did not attend the Feb. 27 PUD board meeting.
Commissioners Ken Hays and Jim Waddell approved Paschall’s resignation and directed staff to begin the process of finding a replacement to fulfill the remaining two years of Paschall’s six-year term and ideally run in 2024 for the position.
“It would be great if we could find someone that intends to run at the end of term,” Hays said during the Feb. 27 meeting.
Staff intends to make a selection for interviews, which are to be held as special meetings in April.
Paschall defeated candidate Patti Morris in 2020 for his seat on the Clallam PUD commissioners, filling an unexpired term for a role left vacant by Hugh Haffner and temporarily filled by Dan Anderson, who chose not to run for the position.
Paschall is a retired electrical utility analyst serving the Pacific Northwest for more than 30 years with experience including power supply, compliance, utility management and participation in regional utility workshops, forums and conferences, according to his biography on the utility’s website.
For 20 years, he provided technical expertise for public power general managers at the Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative (PNGC).
He served for 10 years as vice chair of the Western States Power Pool and four years as Steering Committee member of the Western Interconnection Compliance Forum, according to the website.
PUD calls for candidates
PUD officials have opened the application process to fill the commissioner position left open by Paschall’s resignation.
Eligible candidates must be registered voters living within the PUD’s second commissioner district. That includes the voter precincts Agnew, Blue Mountain, Bluffs, Carlsborg, Clark, Cline, Coyote, Deer Park, Dungeness East, Dungeness West, Fairview, Jamestown, Lost Mountain, Macleay, Monterra, Mount Pleasant, O’Brien, Prairie North, Riverside and Robin Hill.
Commissioners earn a salary of $2,567 per month, plus a per diem of $128 per day for meetings attended on behalf of the district, for a maximum annual compensation of $48,724. Commissioners are also eligible for group insurance for themselves, their immediate family and dependents, district officials said.
“Candidates should have a strong interest in public service, be willing to commit all the time necessary to perform the Commissioner’s duties, and an ability to envision solutions to the challenge of fulfilling the District’s mission statement of ‘Providing reliable, efficient, safe, and low cost utility services in a financially and environmentally responsible manner’,” according to a March 3 PUD press release.
