PUD Board Welcomes Two New Directors

January 23, 2017 – Two new representatives were sworn into the Columbia River People Utility District’s Board of Directors this month. Debbie Reed will now serve as the Subdivision 1 Director and Rob Mathers is the Director for Subdivision 3.

Reed, a retired paralegal, was appointed to the Board during the January 17 PUD Board Meeting. Subdivision 1 includes PUD customers living in Scappoose. This is normally an elected office, however the winning candidate in the November 2016 election was deemed ineligible. Reed will serve a two-year appointment and the position will be on the ballot again in the November 2018 election.

“The Board was fortunate to have three qualified candidates put in an interest application for the vacant Subdivision 1 position, which didn’t make the appointment easy,” said Board President Jake Carter. Carter added that Reed’s extensive legal background gave her a slight edge.

“After much discussion Debbie Reed got the nomination with a unanimous vote to fill the vacant position. We’d like to thank Barbara Fail and Joe Burks for their interest in serving on the PUD Board of Directors and we hope one of them will fill the vacant position on the budget advisory committee. Congratulations Debbie and welcome aboard!”

Reed and her husband Mark have lived in Scappoose since 1981. They have one daughter, Jennifer. They are active with local charities, particularly the Merchants’ Toy N Joy and the Scappoose Share and Care programs.

Reed’s focus as a board member is to continue providing safe, reliable electricity; to find ways to streamline operations to keep rates low; to support programs and services that customers want; and to maintain a safe, positive working environment for PUD employees.

Mathers will represent PUD customers in Deer Island, St. Helens, and Yankton. Mathers has worked in the midstream energy industry for more than 40 years. He currently serves as the Director of Business Development – Northwest Terminals for Kinder Morgan, Inc., where he has commercial responsibilities for terminals in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California.

Mathers serves on the board of the Working Waterfront Coalition in Portland and is a member of the Portland Freight Committee. He previously served on the boards of three private companies in Europe from the late-1980s to the mid-1990s.

Mathers and his wife Annie live in the Yankton area. They have two children, both of whom own and operate their own businesses. Mathers is wholly supportive of CRPUD’s mission and efforts to provide its customers with quality, reliable, and resilient services at the lowest practical cost.