March 19, 2003

Hon. Peter Steinbreuck, President
Councilmenber Jim Compton
Councilmenber Richard Conlin
Councilmenber Jane Drago
Councilmenber Nick Licata
Councilmenber Richard McIver
Councilmenber Judy Nicastro
Councilmenber Margaret Pageler
Councilmenber Heidi Wills

Seattle City Council
Municipal Building
Seattle, WA 98104

Dear President Steinbreuck and Members of the City Council:

On behalf of the Municipal League of King County I would like to thank the members of the Seattle City Council for the thorough and careful work you did in conducting your review of the situation and prospects of Seattle City Light over the past year and a half. Your review ended with what was clearly one of the most difficult decisions the council has faced in recent memory with the necessity of a vote on whether or not to confirm Gary Zarker as the Superintendent. We congratulate you on the fair and orderly process you followed.

The Municipal League appreciates the efforts made by the council and by your Energy and Environment Committee under the leadership of Councilmember Heidi Wills to assure consideration of the large volume of information that was relevant to your review and to include a wide range of voices and positions in your discussions. We are grateful for the courteous attention afforded our reports and presentations throughout.

As you begin the next chapter in this important work, the Municipal League is ready to support you and the mayor in the effort to bring to the utility a new leader who can engage the many strengths of the utility, and indeed of our city more generally, in addressing the long list of difficult challenges facing City Light. We remain convinced of the great asset City Light represents as one of America’s leading municipal electrical utilities. We are eager to see City Light continue to provide ratepayers with reliable low-cost electrical energy and the city of Seattle with the advantages that come from being known as a community where businesses and households can rely on the public utility to supply electricity on that basis over the long term.

Please call on us if we can assist you in any way.

With best wishes,
Putnam Barber
Chair