Appoint and reappoint voting members and ex-officio members to the Portland Utility Board

Office of Mayor Ted Wheeler City of Portland June 3, 2021 As Mayor and Commissioner of Finance & Administration, I request Council confirmation of the following appointments to the Portland Utility Board: Voting Member Appointment Term Replacing Karen Williams July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022 reappointment Alexander Lopez III July 1, 2021-June 30, 2024 Dory Robinson Cayle Tern July 1, 2021-June 30, 2024 Heidi Bullock Jasmine Varela July 1, 2021-June 30, 2024 Rob Martineau Ex-Officio Member Appointment Term Replacing Amy Chomowicz July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022 reappointment Arielle Bradford July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022 Brian Laurent Sarah Messier July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022 Sara Petrocine Respectfully submitted, Ted Wheeler Mayor Biographies and Interest Statements for Appointees: Voting Member – Reappointment/1-year extension Karen Williams brings experience in hydrogeology, watershed planning, water quality and public administration to PUB. After several years as an environmental geologist and project manager, she joined the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and supported watershed councils, local governments and others working across Oregon to measure and improve stream quality. She's now a policy analyst at DEQ and helps to reduce air pollution from cars and trucks. Karen has enjoyed past service on boards for small nonprofit organizations, her union, neighborhood association, and community budget advisory committees. Reason for wanting to serve on the PUB – Karen Williams: The PUB provides an opportunity to combine interests in water and environmental planning with the desire to promote good governance and civic engagement. I hope to help the community better understand how public dollars are put to use to deliver safe, reliable water and maintain healthy watersheds for current and future generations. I hope to learn from community members how city utilities are meeting or not meeting their needs and how PUB can best advocate for them. I also hope my PUB service can promote programs and policies that support training, career opportunities, and professional well-being for utility bureaus' workers and contractors. Voting Members - New Appointments Alexander Lopez III (Alex) is a social worker and environmental geologist (registered in Oregon and Washington) working to center community perspectives in environmental remediation and policy. Utilizing his scientific background and social work education and experience, he strives to understand, call attention to, and mitigate the human impacts of environmental degradation, particularly on communities that have suffered historic and ongoing marginalization. Alex has over 15 years of experience performing environmental remediation work in Oregon and has worked on projects ranging in size from large superfund sites to small residential properties. He has experience with local, state, and federal environmental regulations and uses that experience while engaging with the public to help community members understand the legal and technical aspects of environmental cleanup work. He is particularly interested in brownfield redevelopment and superfund community engagement. Additionally, Alex has an interest in environmental policy, particularly as it relates to environmental justice issues. Alex holds bachelor's degrees in Geology (geophysics) and Mathematics from the University of Texas and will be graduating with a Master of Social Work in August 2021. Reason for wanting to serve on the PUB – Alex Lopez: Thank you for your consideration for appointment to the Portland Utility Board (PUB). I applied for the position on the PUB after I was made aware of the vacancy by a colleague at the Portland Harbor Community Coalition. I was immediately interested in the position because I believe that effective community oversight is fundamental to ensuring that government acts in the best interest of the community it serves. I have a number for reasons for applying to serve on the PUB. First and foremost, I applied because I love Portland and want to play a role in making the city and its government work better for everyone. I am excited by the possibility of using my technical and social work skills to provide feedback to the board about community concerns. I am also excited about playing a role in city government, particularly with respect to environmental issues and drinking water infrastructure. I also believe that my particular combination of life experiences, education, and professional experience gives me a unique perspective on the work of the Bureau of Environmental Services and the Portland Water Bureau. As a middle-class person of color and member of the LGBTQ community, I don’t often see myself or my community reflected in elected officials or government representatives. I applied to the position to help ensure that all communities are given equitable opportunities to contribute to the decisions that will impact them. My experience in environmental remediation and project management gives me a technical perspective rooted in science, policy, and finances. My social work education and experience with environmental justice advocacy give me the tools for engaging community in direct and meaningful ways. I applied to the PUB because I see it as an awesome opportunity to use the full scope of my skills to contribute to my community and city. Finally, I firmly agree that we are all entitled to clean water, a healthy community, and healthy watersheds. While we have made tremendous progress in addressing some of our environmental and infrastructure needs, we still have a very long way to go before those goals are realized. I would like to help get us there together. I appreciate your consideration of my appointment to the PUB. Cayle Tern earned a BS in Business Administration from California State University, Chico, and Master of Social Work from Portland State University. Cayle is a first-generation refugee from Laos, a leader in the in the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community. Cayle serves on the Pacific Islander and Asian Family Center Advisory Board, a Board Member of the East County Rising PAC, a Councilman Member of Service International Employee Union PAC (Oregon), and a recently elected Reynolds School Board Director. Cayle has 15 years’ experience as a Human Services worker with the Oregon Department of Human Services. Social Justice and Equity is at the forefront of every conversation and the Portland Utility Board should be no exception. Reason for wanting to serve on the PUB – Cayle Tern: I want to be appointed to the Portland Utility Board because I want to represent the voices of those that have been marginalized and silent in the policy making process. I believe that access to clean water is a human right so social economic status and income level should not be a barrier to access. I have seen first-hand the challenges that marginalized families encounter and how disruptive a shut-off is to families. We need to develop policies that ensures a sustainable source of clean water while increasing affordability and equity with access. I will contribute my experience as an individual who experienced poverty, a worker who has helped families become self-sufficient, a community advocate that represents the needs of under-represented Oregonians, and Oregon's most vulnerable citizens. Jasmine Varela is an Operating Engineer at the Portland Water Bureau. A member of the PWB since 2006, her experience spans 3 divisions including Maintenance & Construction (Utility Worker), Customer Service (Water Meter Technician), and Operations (Operating Engineer), additionally she has been involved with the bureau's safety committee for over 10 years. Jasmine's education includes a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Oregon DHS certification as a Water Treatment Operator Level II and Water Distribution System Operator Level III. Outside of work, Jasmine is a Varsity Assistant Volleyball coach at Rex Putnam High School (GO KINGSMEN!!!) and has been involved in community coaching for 23 years. She has a deep passion for helping teens become leaders on and off the court and takes her teams to the Oregon Food Bank and the Ronald McDonald House to volunteer and set an example of service in our community. Reason for wanting to serve on the PUB – Jasmine Varela: I am proud to provide clean, safe, drinking water to the People of Portland and surrounding communities, I also strive to uphold the public trust. I hope to offer perspective and engagement with PUB Members and bureaus as a frontline employee, operator and steward of Portland utilities. It is important to recognize the efforts of working people and the value their long and steady stewardship provides. I believe BES & PWB provide services which are critical to ensure community health and safety. To this end I take seriously the opportunity to collectively advise Portland City Council with regard to the bureaus and their missions. Ex-Officio Member – Re-Appointment Amy Chomowicz is a governance policy analyst for the Bureau of Environmental Services Project Management Office (PMO). During her 25-year tenure with BES, Amy has held several different positions which combined technical and policy work with program management. Amy started at BES at the grant manager for a $10 million EPA grant for watershed restoration. She has managed several programs such as the Columbia Slough Watershed program, the city’s Ecoroof Program and the Stormwater Stewards Tree Team. These programs were public-facing and focused on providing services to multiple types of populations in Portland using an equity lens. Amy has served on many bureau committees including the PEER program and the Committee for Equity and Diversity. Amy also has a background in energy conservation and electric utility experience. Outside of work, Amy volunteers with Friends of Trees, and she is on the board of the Green Roof information Think-tank, a small non-profit that provides education about sustainable stormwater management. Amy has a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science from the University of New Hampshire, and a Masters in Urban Planning from the University of Washington. Reason for Wanting to Serve on the PUB – Amy Chomowicz: The services BES and the Water Bureau provide are foundational to the health and well-being of the Portland community, and the bureaus must emphasize providing utility services with an explicit commitment to the safety and wellbeing of the community and the environment. Decisions must promote accountability, transparency, and the best use of public resources. At this critical point in our history, the bureaus have a responsibility and opportunity to effect positive change within the community by emphasizing equity, inclusion, human rights, and addressing intuitional racism. I believe deeply in serving the community, and my goal is to support the PUB in making the best decisions for the Portland community. Ex-Officio Members – New Appointments Sarah Messier is a Water Quality Information Program Coordinator at the Portland Water Bureau. Sarah has worked in the Water Quality Information group at PWB since 2014. Her work includes managing the outreach and education components of the Lead Hazard Reduction Program, producing the annual Drinking Water Quality Report and other water quality communication materials, preparing for emergency communication events, and increasing native language and disability access to water quality information. She is also a member of the bureau’s Outreach Committee. Sarah has a Bachelor of Science in Marine and Freshwater Biology and a Masters of Science in Marine Resource Management. Outside of work, you can find Sarah exploring nature with her family, baking with her two young kids, tending her houseplants, and reading as much as she can. Reason for Wanting to Serve on the PUB – Sarah Messier: It’s my honor to serve the people who drink Portland’s water. I have a deep-rooted vision and belief in the good that government can provide, while also holding the truth that government continues to inflict harm on many of our communities. My work at the Water Bureau is focused on increasing the community trust that our tap water is safe to drink and removing systemic barriers to that information. I look forward to expanding on this work on PUB to continue building community trust in the Water Bureau as a steward of water quality, ratepayer funds, and the drinking water system as well as increasing access and transparency of budget priorities and decision-making. It is a privilege to serve on PUB as a Water Bureau liaison and be a voice for our bureau and the diverse communities we serve. Arielle Bradford is currently an Environmental Technician II at the Bureau of Environmental Services. Her experience spans stormwater and wastewater service portfolios in step with real-world work, and she brings a broad range of experience in environmental science, water quality, and ecosystem restoration work. Arielle has a strong passion for equity, diversity, and inclusion. Her knowledge and experience managing the intersection of community engagement, water quality, regulatory compliance, revenue, and operations and maintenance strategies will add value to topics presented at PUB, and empower her to bring PUB greater awareness of the needs and experiences of our employees and customers, particularly Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color. Reason for Wanting to Serve on the PUB – Arielle Bradford: Arielle’s passion and values center on serving the Portland community with a transparent lens and focus on clean and affordable water resources for all Portlanders.