Publisher’s note: The following endorsement is from Lake Tahoe News after a team of seven community members gathered to discuss who should be on the South Tahoe Public Utility District board.

Water and sewer are not sexy topics. However, in today’s world water is only going to become more important. That is why it is vital the best people possible are in charge of overseeing the operations at South Tahoe Public Utility District.

The board needs to be comprised of people who understand the intricacies of the operations and have a vision for the future. Lake Tahoe News believes Randy Vogelgesang and Nick Exline have those qualities.

Randy Vogelgesang

Vogelgesang is the current board chairman and is finishing his first four-year term. Being a civil and structural engineer have helped him to grasp the finer details of the largest water-sewer district on the South Shore.

He has consistently been fiscally conservative. In 2014, he voted against giving employees a raise. “I felt that I needed to try to keep any pay increases as low as possible considering the economic situation of the ratepayers,” Vogelgesang told Lake Tahoe News. While he was on the losing end of that vote, we appreciate that he was considering the people he represents – the ratepayers, not the workers. When it comes to employee benefits, he said, “I would prefer a defined contribution over a defined benefit plan as a way to control costs.”

Nick Exline

Exline is a breath of fresh air. His energy is infectious and his ideas plentiful. While he is running on a platform to increase renewable energy, he will likely soon learn that economically it could be an uphill battle. Nonetheless, we applaud him for bringing ideas to the table.

After all, it is the board that is supposed to be the policymaker and staff is there to do the work. Maybe it’s time for South Tahoe PUD to look at different policies. Providing clean water and treated effluent that is near pristine are in some ways doing the minimum. That is not to take away from the hard work involved to make all of this happen. But the status quo from the board needs shaking up a bit.

There needs to be more vision. That is one reason we cannot endorse Kelly Sheehan for another term.

While South Tahoe PUD has enough water for the next 30 years, that doesn’t mean the district can ignore what is going on in the rest of the state and in Nevada when it comes to drought, domestic water and farming needs; nor can it turn its back on climate change; and it’s scary to acknowledge with the 10-year anniversary of the Angora Fire coming up next June that the service area still does not have adequate water lines for fire suppression.

There is much more for the district’s board to do than worry if a toilet flushes and if clear water comes out of the spigot. We need leaders with vision on the South Tahoe Public Utility District board. Vogelgesang and Exline fit that description.