I’m running for EWEB Commissioner At-Large because I want to do my part to support EWEB in a critical time of transition for public utilities and our shared infrastructure.
We in Eugene are lucky to have our municipal water and electric utility, but there is real work to do to ensure that our water and energy remains resilient, reliable, affordable, clean, and abundant. As a licensed Professional Engineer (mechanical, Oregon license# 86378PE) and a longtime leading national energy efficiency and utility policy expert, I am well positioned to make a positive impact on our community through helping lead EWEB.
As your EWEB Commissioner, I will work hard to improve our resilience to current and future climate and weather events, to improve energy and water affordability, to make EWEB operations more sustainable, to improve transparency and communication, and to improve equity outcomes for everyone in our community.
About Alexi
Eugene is my forever home and I try every day to make this city a better place. I was born and raised right here in Eugene and I am thrilled to be raising my two young children here in this community. My Eugene roots run deep – and so do my family’s: my mother was an EWEB Commissioner, while my two other parents both served on the Eugene City Council. This family tradition of Eugene public service deeply informed my values, my career, and how I live my life. “Leave it better than you found it” applies to government and the environment – not just making the bed.
I have spent almost twenty years working in the energy efficiency technology and policy space. In my day job I am the Director of Building Innovation at the nonprofit New Buildings Institute. In that role, I lead a team of technical experts, engineers, policymakers, and project managers who work to make buildings better for people and the planet. One example of my work: I founded and continue to lead the GridOptimal Buildings Initiative, a national collaborative effort to improve integration between buildings and the electricity grid. Over my 11 years at the New Buildings Institute I have helped advance emerging technology, move the needle on energy policy, and defined what’s next for utility companies across the country.
Here at home, I am the Vice-Chair of the Eugene Sustainability Commission and I serve on the Envision Eugene Technical Advisory Committee, which deals with urban growth monitoring. I regularly volunteer to help the less fortunate among us (for instance, I’ve been helping out at the Egan Warming Centers when I can for years), clean our parks and open spaces, and make our city a better place to live.
Now, I am excited to put my experience, knowledge, and drive into helping make Eugene a better place to live, work, and grow. I welcome your support and look forward to working together to make EWEB better now and for future generations.
Key Issues
Affordability and Rate-Payer Protection
We all use energy and we all use water, but these basic needs can be expensive. Rising EWEB bills are top of mind for many Eugene residents and business. As your EWEB Commissioner, I will work to ensure that EWEB is fiscally responsible, keeps spending under control, and prioritizes affordability while thinking strategically about necessary near-term and long-term investments. I will build on my career as a national thought leader advancing utility rate design, energy efficiency, and ratepayer engagement programs to bring tried and true best practices back home to EWEB, with the goal of ensuring that all the people in Eugene can afford their electricity and water.
Clean Energy and the Environment
Eugene is a beautiful city and we are very lucky to be surrounded by stunning natural environments. EWEB has an important role to play in protecting these crucial natural resources. This means protecting the Willamette and McKenzie rivers and watersheds. It also includes bigger-picture efforts to reducing our community’s greenhouse gas emissions. EWEB should be a critical player, meaningfully helping Eugene residents and businesses make energy efficiency and decarbonization upgrades – and saving money along the way. As your EWEB Commissioner, I will build on my decades in the energy efficiency industry to bring best practices back home.
Resilience and Reliability
We all rely on EWEB to provide our homes and businesses with electricity and water, every hour, every day, in every kind of weather. This is critical for the people of Eugene and the visitors to our community. We need to keep the lights on and keep clean water flowing today – but as we enter into the reality of climate change, with more-frequent major wildfires and more-extreme heat waves and winter storms, we need to be ready for bigger future disasters too. As your EWEB Commissioner, I will work to plan and build resilient and reliable energy and water systems for today and tomorrow.
Transparency and Community The people of Eugene deserve to know what their public utility is doing. I will endeavor to serve as an accessible, approachable bridge between the people of Eugene and EWEB leadership, and I will work to empower the people of Eugene by raising up the voices of our community.
Endorsements
Democratic Party of Lane County
IBEW Union Local 659 (the primary EWEB workers’ union)
This is the first time they have ever endorsed an EWEB Board candidate!
Lane County Central Labor Chapter, OR AFL-CIO
The Sierra Club
Eugene Tenants Alliance
Sonya Carlson, EWEB Commissioner, Wards 6+7
Tim Morris, EWEB Commissioner, Wards 1+8
Eliza Kashinsky, Eugene City Councilor, Ward 1
Jennifer Yeh, Eugene City Councilor, Ward 4
Lyndsie Leech, Eugene City Councilor, Ward 7
Matt Keating, Eugene City Councilor, Ward 2
Kitty Piercy, Former Eugene Mayor
Lucy Vinis, Former Eugene Mayor
Matt McRae, Former EWEB Commissioner
Saro Hendrickson, Former EWEB Commissioner
Gretchen Miller, Former Eugene City Councilor and Acting Mayor
Tai Pruce-Zimmerman, Active Bethel Community Co-Chair
