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Posted at Seattle Explorer.com

Another public utility district takeover of Puget Sound Energy? As in 1941, so in 2008

POSTED August 4, 11:22 PM

Puget Power billboard against municipal takeover, photographed May 14, 1941 on
Aurora Avenue N. Courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives, item #16205

Bob Simmons of Crosscut.com just posted an article on how the prospective buyout of Puget Sound Energy by Australia's Macquarie Group is raising hackles among those in their service area who fear higher rates and less control. As a result, some are calling for a mass takeover by local PUDs (public utility districts).

Simmons notes: "In the 70 years-plus since the Washington legislature gave public utility districts the authority to buy all or parts of a privately owned utility and serve its consumers, Washington has become one of the leading PUD states in the country... To get into the electric business, they need only the approval of a majority of the voters in the service area... [But] once the takeover question's been sent to the ballot, the PUD commissioners and their staff are required to stay out of the campaign and leave the politicking to citizen groups. PSE is not so constrained. It will spend whatever it can to defeat the public power initiatives."

Which brings up this billboard, which I found in the excellent photographic database of the Seattle Municipal Archives. If it's a little hard to read, here's a transcript.

HOODED EXECUTIONER [dragging Reddy Kilowatt, Puget Power's mascot, to the "chopping block for private enterprise," axe in hand]: If we can just get "Reddy" – the others will come easier!
NARRATOR: If they do – you may be next.

This was snapped on May 14, 1941, on Aurora Avenue N. in Seattle. This particular campaign of Puget Power's failed, as City Light completed its buyout of private utilities within the city limits ten years later. But it does demonstrate that they've been fighting the fight for years, and will likely pull out all the stops this time around.