As your Commissioner I will serve ratepayer’s priorities …
- District business ought to be transparent.
- Rates ought to be reasonable and competitive.
- “Growth pays for growth” ought to be strictly adhered to.
- Capital projects ought to be planned with an eye on the future.
- Where applicable, incentives ought to be consistent with objectives.
- Budgets must be comprehensive.
- Internal controls must be established and utilized.
- Contracts must be sustainable for the long haul.
- We must maximize long-term success.
My personal management philosophy is:
- Set goals by establishing effective policy
- Hire and train excellent employees
- Get out of the way
Set goals
The Board’s job is to set the goals by establishing policy. Most of us don’t think about water services until the faucet dries up or the toilet doesn’t flush. It is human nature to take those things for granted that appear so effortless. We have 46,246 water connections and 33,765 sewer connections, hundreds of miles of pipe, pumps, generators, tanks and all of the equipment and personnel necessary to maintain effective operation. Great service starts with planning and the first step is to establish objectives.
Hire good people
In order to serve ratepayers properly, the Board must provide resources and training to the staff and remove impediments to their ability to perform. Effective staffing is a key element and the hiring process is the foundation. To be competitive in our ever-changing environment, we must raise the bar because being as good as we used to be isn’t enough. We must continually elevate performance standards. Training must be a high priority. Paul Harvey once said, “The problem with our society today is NOT that we aim too high and miss – it is that we aim too low and hit!” Alderwood employees are competent, professional and dedicated to providing high-quality, first rate water and sewer services. We must aim high to succeed.
Get out of the way
A key aspect, often difficult, is getting out of the way – allowing the “do-ers” to do their jobs. Micro-management is a pitfall to be avoided. The Board is responsible for establishing the policies that provide the framework necessary for employees to perform but hiring and training decisions must be validated through performance evaluation. The Alderwood staff has demonstrated what a well-qualified, highly trained workforce can accomplish.
As your Commissioner I will work to implement this philosophy.
Policy concerns: Effective policy includes administrative guidelines, strategic planning, inter-governmental relations, capital improvements and more but the scope of policy jurisdiction is limited by statute. Commissioners are often called upon to make hard choices between less-than-satisfactory alternatives. And the decisions confronting us today are largely driven by circumstances beyond the Board’s control. The Picnic Point Treatment Facility must include sustainable technology that will serve us for many years and it must be expandable. Water supply contracts must serve all District ratepayers – those served directly and those served indirectly through partner cities. The Brightwater situation places Alderwood customers right between two competing County governments. It will serve ratepayers well to be represented by advocates unafraid to “think outside the box.”
All too often, municipalities and government entities lose sight of who works for whom, and what the goals are. As your Commissioner I will ensure a bridge between ratepayer priorities and application of District resources.
If you agree that we have enough politicians and that ratepayers deserve a voice to balance that of industry insiders on the Alderwood Board please vote for me to have your voice heard.
Thanks for your support.
Larey McLaren
Alderwood Water Commissioner, 1999 to 2001; 2005 to present
