Benton PUD is the local public utility that provides electricity to Kennewick, Prosser, and the surrounding area. It's owned by the community it serves, not by outside shareholders.

A commissioner reviews budgets and rates, approves major spending, and holds the general manager and staff accountable. Commissioners don't run day-to-day operations or manage crews, that's staff's job. Their job is long-term direction: making sure the utility stays reliable, affordable, and well-run.

No. PUD commissioner races are nonpartisan by law. Dewey isn't running as a Republican or a Democrat, this seat serves everyone in the district the same way regardless of politics.

The general election is November 3, 2026, and ballots go out October 16. Everyone across the Benton PUD service area can vote in this race, not just District 2.

The deadline to register is October 26. You can register or check your status at VoteWA.gov.

I'm not running because I think Benton PUD is broken. I'm running because the decisions ahead are getting harder: power supply, transmission constraints, large new loads, and capital investment. Benton PUD is in a strong position today. My goal is to help make sure it stays that way.

Reliable power. Responsible rates. Accountable leadership. A commissioner's job isn't to pick a favorite technology or push a political agenda. It's making sure Benton PUD has dependable, affordable power and disciplined financial management, based on engineering and economics, not politics.

Some of the biggest cost pressures come from BPA, regional power lines, and other things outside the District's control. A commissioner needs to understand those pressures, and also hold Benton PUD accountable for what it can control: spending, borrowing, and planning ahead. Responsible rates doesn't mean just voting no on every increase, it means making smart decisions today so costs don't spike later.

I don't think Benton PUD should pick a favorite technology. The real questions are whether a resource is dependable when customers need it, what it costs, and how much risk comes with it. Wires alone aren't a power supply, Benton PUD needs both dependable power and the infrastructure to deliver it. I'll judge every option on reliability, affordability, and risk.

Case by case. Any large new customer needs a credible plan for the power and infrastructure it requires, and existing residential, agricultural, and business customers shouldn't have to subsidize the cost of serving it. If a project brings its own power, pays its own way, and doesn't hurt reliability, it could be a real opportunity for this valley. If it can't meet those conditions, it shouldn't be built on everyone else's dime.

Experience and judgment, backed by specifics. I managed more than $70 million a year in operating and capital budgets across large farming operations, real money, real deadlines, real consequences when a decision went wrong. I served as an appointed commissioner with West Benton Fire and Rescue, so I've already sat on a public board and handled public resources responsibly. And through the Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association, I already work on the regional power and water issues that show up on a Benton PUD bill. That's not a background you can build in a single campaign season.

Agriculture is a major part of this valley's economy and one of its biggest users of electricity, especially in summer. Irrigation pumps, cooling, cold storage, and processing are often running at exactly the moments demand peaks. If Benton PUD builds programs that affect farmers, growers should be the ones helping design them.

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