Remembering: Commissioner Ken McMillen
Jefferson County PUD mourns the passing of long-serving former utility commissioner Ken McMillen.
Commissioner McMillen served District 2 on the board for two stretches of time: first from 1981 until 2002 and then from 2009 through 2014.
McMillen was a 4th generation Jefferson County resident of the Port Hadlock area and a graduate of the University of Washington. He retired from the US Navy at the rank of Commander after a career as an aircraft mechanic and carrier pilot during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
During his 25 years as a commissioner, McMillen played a key role in transformative projects for the district. He joined the commission in 1981 as the first utility water system, Gardiner LUD #1, was constructed. McMillen also served as water service expanded to include the purchase and upgrade of the Tri-Area Water System covering much of the mid-county growth areas. He was also instrumental in the financing and construction efforts for the Beckett Point Sewer System (LUD#15).
In the early 2000s, the community was presented with the rare opportunity to join the public power fold, and in 2008, by a narrow voting margin, public power became the newest service offering from the PUD. McMillen and fellow commissioners navigated the public power journey through complex financing opportunities with the Rural Utility Service (marking the first private-to-public electric utility transfer in 65 years), ongoing negotiation with then-owner of the electric service Puget Sound Energy, and joining the Bonneville Power Administration family of utilities providing clean energy.
McMillen was an active utility representative with the Washington Public Utility Districts Association (WPUDA), from the early stages as a water utility and, later, as the youngest electric utility. McMillen was voted to serve as WPUDA President by utility professionals from across the state, representing Washington utilities large and small with legislative efforts.
McMillen voted with the PUD board to join Northwest Open Access Network (NoaNet) in 2000, paving the way for wholesale broadband services. With the aid of NoaNet and federal grant money, wholesale public access fiber optic services that were constructed in 2013 and have since evolved into retail services to unserved and underserved broadband customers across the utility.
In 2015, he was formally recognized with a PUD board resolution for his decades of leadership, mentorship, and service. Commissioner Ken McMillen’s leadership helped secure essential community-owned utility services across all of eastern Jefferson County.