Clallam County Public Utility District commissioners are interviewing six candidates to fill the role left vacant by Rick Paschall, who announced his resignation from his role as commissioner in February.
Finalists were selected April 3. Three of the six candidates — Nathan Adkisson, Jack Smith and Jason Zizzo — were interviewed on April 4, while the other three — Troye Jarmuth, John Purvis and Marc Sullivan — were scheduled to be interviewed April 5.
PUD commissioners will meet in an executive session on April 10 to discuss the candidates and either make a decision or bring back candidates for second interviews.
Commissioners have said they hope to select a candidate who would intend to run for the position after serving the remaining two years of Paschall’s term.
About the candidates
• Adkisson, 44, is a longtime resident of Clallam County who says he has a long-held passion for civic engagement.
Adkisson earned a degree in communications from Western Washington University in 2002 and has spent 20 years in the financial industry, 11 of which have been in Clallam County, working as a loan officer for various financial institutions.
• Smith, 79, has lived in Clallam County for nearly a decade; he said during his interview that he has a hard time staying retired.
Smith has nearly 40 years of experience working in utilities, the majority of which were in Snohomish County; however, he did a short stint as a flagger for Clallam PUD in 2014.
He has been heavily involved in community service since the 1970s and currently works part-time for FedEx.
Smith is a graduate of Roosevelt High School in Seattle and a U.S. Navy veteran.
• Zizzo, 36, has lived in Clallam County for two years and has a background in business and financial experience. He said he has a “deep understanding of cost of service analysis and economics as a public good.”
Zizzo is a U.S. Army veteran who earned a master’s degree in applied economics from Southern Methodist University in 2013 and currently works as the associate director of healthcare economics at Optum.
• Jarmuth, 65, has lived in Clallam County for 40 years and is a graduate of Sequim High School. He serves on the planning commission for the City of Sequim and the Carlsborg Community Advisory.
Jarmuth is the co-owner of Jarmuth Electric. Through interactions with the PUD over the last 20 years, he said he has learned to understand the unique challenges the PUD is facing.
• Puvis, 60, is a 16-year resident of Clallam County and comes with a host of recommendations from community leaders such as Colleen McAleer, executive director of the Clallam County Economic Development Council; Karen Affeld, executive director of the North Olympic Development Council; and Port Angeles City Council member Charlie McCaughan.
Purvis has 40 years of experience with power utility systems, beginning with his time in the U.S. Navy and his current role as assistant general manager of the Clallam PUD.
Purvis earned two degrees from Christian Brothers University: one in civil engineering and one in electrical engineering, and in his own words is a “firm believer in the value of public power.”
• Sullivan, 71, has lived in Clallam County for just less than a decade.
Sullivan earned a degree in political science from Stanford University in 1974 and worked as a senior executive of Seattle City Light in the 1990s.
Sullivan said he was raised in “the church of public power” when describing his experience with public utility systems throughout the years.
