I appreciate citizens taking their own time, attending government meetings and providing elected officials with personalized input–even if I don’t agree with thier point-of-view. In exchange for this time and effort, we expect that elected officials treat citizens with respect–even if they don’t agree with them. This is the fundamental exchange that makes our representative government work.

I was shocked when I heard the following story:

The Thurston County Public Utility District has been considering purchasing Puget Sound Energy and forming a government-owned power district. Justin Kover, a local activist, has been consistently attending the PUD meetings and providing public input–and his testimony is often in opposition to the PUD Commissioner’s plans.

Recently, Justin questioned the transparency and process used by the PUD Commissioners. He provided a three-minute public comment. Then Commissioner Corwin berated him and called Justin an idiot.

Here is the audio file of Justin’s testimony and Commissioner Corwin’s comments.

Right at the end, you can hear the other two Commissioners gasp in reaction as well.

Will you join me in standing up for a fellow activist?

Join me in asking PUD Commissioner Alan Corwin to 1. Appologize to Justin Kover and 2. Learn how to be respectful to the public.

All you need to do is click this link and write a few sentences to PUD Commissioner Alan Corwin. Your email will already be addressed, and copied to the other jurisdictions the PUD serves.

Thank you for your time and effort. This small step will help us to put elected officials on notice that we expect them to be respectful, and listen to all opinions–even if they don’t agree with them.

Yours,

Scott Roberts

Citizen Action Network, Director