Letter: Thompson has proven foresight as Richland mayor

In 2000, Richland was evaluating a proposed new 20-year electric power contract with BPA. The options were: stay with a “requirements” contract, or choose a new “slice” contract.

The staff, its consultants, six of of the seven UAC and neighbor utilities, and Benton and Franklin PUDs were all pushing the “slice” option, and in a preliminary vote on the council voted 6-1 (Tanner) to support “slice.” At this point, Mayor Thompson took extraordinary steps to ensure that the minority position could be fully examined, and he and council members Moser and Mazur spent many hours doing just that, and in a final vote on April 11, 2001, they joined Tanner to reject “slice.”

From 2001, our electric rates have been significantly lower than our neighbors, and the savings are calculated by multiplying the difference in rates by the kilowatt hours consumed. The savings through 2016 are an amazing $174 million, including a savings last year of $10.4 million.

This little-appreciated savings overwhelms a $20 car tab and speaks strongly for keeping Bob on the job. His 20 years of experience and willingness to take the time to examine complex issues are a benefit to all of us.

This story was originally published October 16, 2017 at 2:09 PM with the headline "Letter: Thompson has proven foresight as Richland mayor."