City Light GM Nominee Would Get Same Pay As Predecessor

SEATTLE, WA - If Debra Smith becomes the next general manager of Seattle City Light, she'll earn the same salary as her predecessor, Larry Weis. That's according to City Council documents released in advance of the Housing, Health, Energy, and Workers’ Rights Committee meeting on Thursday.

Mayor Jenny Durkan nominated Smith for the City Light job at the end of August. Smith is the general manger of the Lincoln Public Utility District located in Newport, Ore.

Smith was offered a $340,000 salary in a letter from Durkan dated Aug. 28., the highest pay in city government. Seattle Public Utitilities General Manager Mami Hara is the next highest paid at about $130,000 per year, according to city records.

The letter does not say whether Smith would get the $30,000 performance bonuses that Weis was supposed to earn. Durkan accepted Weis' resignation last December. He was hired in 2016 by former mayor Ed Murray.

Smith's resume was also included in the Council committee documents. The resume shows Smith began her working career at Conoco (now ConocoPhillips) in 1981 working in finance. She also worked as a loan officer at The Oregon Bank and as CEO of Alpha HealthCare.

On her resume, Smith highlighted her oversight of Lincoln PUD implementing a smart meter system. City Light's smart meter program has been troubled, and was shown to be $17.4 million over budget, according to Crosscut.

Image courtesy Lincoln PUD