Why I’m Running for Thurston PUD Commissioner!
By Bruce Wilkinson
My Commitment: Safety, Reliability, Affordability
As your PUD Commissioner, I commit to three core priorities: safe water, reliable service, and affordable rates. This starts with careful fiscal stewardship while never wavering in the protection of our precious water supplies. Actively listening to Thurston community members and the PUD’s expert staff is the foundation of sound decision-making. Working together, we can make the responsible choices necessary to supply clean water at a price everyone can afford.
Why Washington, Why Water, Why Now?
It has been a blessing to call Washington home since arriving for national service over 20 years ago. During that time, I’ve paid close attention to the development and protection of our water resources. The Thurston PUD has taken on challenging water systems—often in need of major upgrades—allowing the district to grow while building deep institutional experience. These diverse systems demand thoughtful stewardship to improve services for all.
I am running to meet these challenges, and all future ones: from urgent environmental needs to innovative solutions found through regional water cooperation.
Future development must prioritize group water systems over single exempt wells. Our aquifers have strained during late summers in recent years. Maintaining intact, sustainable groundwater requires coordinated, forward-looking management. The public increasingly understands what’s at stake if our water supply falls into disrepair. I’ll work with my fellow PUD Commissioners, utility decision-makers across Thurston County, and state partners to implement best practices—ensuring excellent water for generations to come.
Rolling Up My Sleeves at the PUD
Maintaining and protecting our pure water is the sacred duty of the PUD. My first two years will be about learning: metaphorically chopping wood and carrying water, preparing to bridge the looming wave of retirements. By diving in to absorb institutional wisdom, I hope to deepen public trust.
I first learned about the PUD while volunteering for the Thurston Public Power Initiative. That 2012 initiative—on the same ballot that first elected my opponent—would have allowed the PUD to provide electricity. The “No Campaign” spent $656,158.84, all from corporations. But that’s not why the initiative failed. The real reason: we weren’t ready. And today, we still aren’t.
Water deserves the full focus of the Thurston PUD and its Commissioners. I’ve reached this conclusion based on the facts as I see them: a changing energy market, rising interest rates, and questions of scale.
On Public Power & Foreign Interference
My position remains firm: it is a travesty that we pay monthly fealty to a foreign-owned private electric monopoly. However, I no longer see the Thurston PUD as the vehicle to fix that. Our Governor should bring this travesty to heel—not our local PUD. Doing so requires confronting how this foreign corporate entity manipulates our elections.
Their continued interference is a strong motivation for my candidacy. The incumbent I ran against in 2024 had the backing of this foreign corporate person’s money and power during her past elections. I’m hoping that influence stops going forward for PUD officials.
This behemoth spends money we send it on greasing the palms of politicians across the state. That they continually pour money into our local PUD Commissioner elections is especially concerning. When foreign owners disrupt the people’s choice and stunt the growth of Public Utility Districts to manipulate markets and prevent competition, it is an attack on our democracy, our fundamental rights, and our national sovereignty. It makes me furious.
PUD elections should be about which candidate the people judge best for the PUD—not which candidate best serves the profits of the foreign owners of the electric company.
A Clean Campaign, A Hands-On Commissioner
Despite the uphill battle, I’m running a clean campaign for a smooth transition.
Elect me, and I won’t just sit at public meetings. I’ll be at PUD sites: bucking downed timber, hauling heavy cable, driving big trucks, training new workers, teaching young people, and making informed decisions. There is no better way to understand the needs of PUD sites, equipment, workers, and customers than by experiencing the work firsthand.
Bruce Wilkinson is a lifelong activist, union member, and resident of Thurston County. He believes water is life—and that protecting it requires courage, collaboration, and community.
