Defeated Ronald Wastewater commissioner returned to board

Arne Lind
Appointed Ronald
Wastewater Coommissioner

Arne Lind, the long-time Ronald Wastewater Commissioner who was defeated in the last election by former school board member and Shoreline City council member Robert Ransom, was appointed to the board last week.

The Ronald Board is in conflict with the City of Shoreline over an agreement signed in 2002 which negotiated a 15 year time frame for the wastewater utility to transition from the District to the City. The agreement was signed by Commissioner Arthur Wadekamper, who is still on the wastewater board.

The Ronald District now wants to remain independent and is lobbying the public and exploring possible legal grounds, such as requiring a public vote.

The original three board members, Brian T. Carroll, Arthur Wadekamper, and Arne Lind, are in favor of an independent wastewater district. Robert "Bob" Ransom, who defeated Arne Lind in an election, was openly in favor of continuing the agreed-upon City assumption.

Recently, the Ronald Board voted to expand from three to five members. There was an open public process to solicit and review candidates. Out of 21 applicants, the pool was winnowed to five, and Arne Lind was chosen. The appointment vote was two in favor with one abstention.

According to a press release from Ronald Wastewater:

"A majority of commissioners believed that Mr. Lind’s experience and understanding of the District would allow him to hit the ground running as a commissioner without needing to master a steep learning curve. The majority also appreciated Mr. Lind’s strong commitment to the public’s right to vote on which entity will provide sewer service in the future."

Next, the four commissioners will choose the fifth commissioner at a special meeting.

"There will be a special meeting on Friday, August 3, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. at the District office, 17505 Linden Ave N. At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Lind will be sworn in as a commissioner and will then join the Board to select another applicant to fill the five member board. The two newly appointed commissioners will flip a coin to determine who will fill Position 4 (serving until the next District election in 2013) and who will fill Position 5 (serving until the next District election after that in 2015)."