Point Reyes Light - July 29, 2004
Director Dewey to leave Inverness utility board
By Jacob Resneck
Inverness Public Utility District directors will appoint a new board member following the resignation of its longtime president Barbara Dewey. Dewey this week told The Light she is resigning for health reasons.
Her resignation will take effect Aug. 1, she said. "I’m trying to die, and I’m doing it slowly," Dewey quipped with her usual humor. She said her recent loss of energy brought on by age has forced her to drop her IPUD duties.
Director Richard Pearson said Dewey’s departure was not unexpected. "Her health hasn’t been good," he said, "so she was kind of planning on it for the last year."
A powerful force
Dewey, a 17-year veteran on the district board, said she entered Inverness politics in 1977 when the district was poised to turn over the town’s water system to Novato-based North Marin Water District.
Dewey organized a petition to put the matter to a vote.
Townspeople voted overwhelmingly to keep the water in local hands, Dewey said.
Vice President Scoby Zook said that Dewey was a strong personality. "She was very hardworking," he told The Light, "and she was a strong advocate of seeing both sides of an issue. On one hand, she could see the benefits of charging higher rates, but she also was an advocate for the common person who didn’t have a lot of money and didn’t use a lot of water."
Appointing a replacement
"We’ll have to do what we’ve done in the past – appoint someone," Director Pearson said at Wednesday’s utility board meeting.
The board voted to form an ad-hoc nominating committee consisting of Directors Michael McEneany and Laura Alderdice and General Manager Kaaren Gann.
The committee will accept applications until Aug. 10 from those interested in taking Dewey’s seat.
Directors will appoint her replacement Aug. 25. The new director will serve the remainder of Dewey’s term, which will expire in November 2005.
Inverness residents interested in applying to become a director can call IPUD at 669-1414.