EWEB: Ron Farmer.

Byline: The Register-Guard

There may come a time when it's more important to shake up the Eugene Water & Electric Board by adding a young, inexperienced newcomer than by re-electing a talented incumbent commissioner. Now is not that time.

The last thing EWEB customers need right now is to lose Commissioner Ron Farmer's financial expertise in the midst of two crucial multimillion-dollar initiatives. One seeks to secure federal relicensing of the Carmen-Smith hydroelectric generation project on the upper McKenzie River. The other involves moving the utility's downtown operations component to a new site on Roosevelt Boulevard.

Farmer's opponent for the nonpartisan seat that represents Wards 4 and 5 in northeast Eugene is Ashley Miller, a 23-year-old University of Oregon student. Miller took to heart the advice to "get involved" she found while visiting EWEB's Web site. Her idea of involvement was to run for election as a champion of conservation and environmental stewardship, important values for a utility commissioner.

Miller also brings an Internet-savvy sensibility to her campaign, pledging to set up a computer listserv where customers could ask questions or follow board actions if they were unable to attend meetings. She believes EWEB commissioners could be more responsive to ratepayers and in return ratepayers would be more receptive to efforts to conserve water and power. That's pretty keen insight for someone whose only previous political experience involves working with student voting advocacy groups.

But the kind of insight EWEB needs right now is an order of magnitude more sophisticated than anything Miller can provide.

As regional president for Bank of America, Farmer brings an unequaled level of financial and managerial expertise to the utility's board. From testifying before bond analysts to helping EWEB map a five-year strategy to erase $30 million in debt and establish a $55 million reserve fund, Farmer offers EWEB a lot of banker for its buck. The four-year commission seats are unpaid.

Apart from the fiscal guidance Farmer provides, he has been instrumental in reshaping the board's focus during his first term. When he took his seat in 2002, Farmer came to a board that paid more attention to operational concerns than policy. EWEB staff members would prepare detailed analytical reports for the board but were reluctant to offer recommendations.

Farmer persuaded the board that its main purpose should be to formulate policy and establish a vision for the utility, not to micromanage operations. Freed from concerns that commissioners needed to approve every initiative, the staff could devise innovative methods to carry out the board's policies.

Farmer also recognizes that EWEB has a major role to play in decisions that affect how and where development will take place in Lane County because EWEB is the only public entity in the county with excess water rights. EWEB's water comes mainly from the McKenzie River.

At a time when many races are uncontested, it's heartening to see a young adult combine fresh thinking with the courage to seek public office. We hope Miller decides to stay involved and finds other opportunities to serve.

But EWEB customers are fortunate that Farmer feels he has unfinished business on the utility's board. Voters in Wards 4 and 5 shouldn't hesitate to give Farmer another term to keep the organization moving in the right direction.