Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is taking steps to enhance its engagement with the community by inaugurating a new Customer Review Panel (CRP). This panel brings together a mix of individuals from diverse backgrounds to provide advice and recommendations on utility rates, conservation initiatives, and environmental policies, as described by the Seattle Public Utilities.
SPU aims to represent the city's melting pot of communities, drawing CRP members from varied professional and personal spheres, including those dedicated to serving low-income, immigrants, and refugees within the city. An array from small business experts to tech industry leaders makes up the newly welcomed advisors, ensuring that voices from across the economic and social spectrum are heard. The formation of the CRP is a result of a joint recruitment with the Solid Waste Advisory Committee where the Department of Neighborhoods was instrumental in recruiting these panel members.
The new cadre of members includes Nafiso Samatar, known for her role as President of the Somali Business Alliance, who has two decades worth of experience in empowering minority-owned small businesses through city service navigation. According to the Seattle Public Utilities, she aims to extend her outreach to educate these businesses on sustainability and conservation efforts.
Technical expert Manav Goel, serving as Technical Lead at Meta, brings his acumen to enhance SPU's climate resilience and innovation in waste management. Goel is not a stranger to civic involvement, being actively engaged with organizations like Sound Generations, and his vision includes leveraging technologies like artificial intelligence for superior community services. Meanwhile, environmental enthusiast Allison Mettler, currently interning with SPU, has her eyes set on stormwater management and broadening access to electronic waste services.
Among the reappointed members is Miki Sodos, a fierce proponent of equitable utility services and environmental education in marginalized communities. Sodos, a seasoned entrepreneur within Seattle's food service sector, draws on her business acumen to inform her contributions to the panel. Gretchen Glaub, Snohomish County's Salmon Recovery Coordinator, is back to continue her vital work aiming at Puget Sound's ecological revival, and as described by SPU, her multifaceted background enhances the panel's collective expertise.
The new and returning CRP members altogether underscore SPU's commitment to creating a stronger, healthier, and more inclusive Seattle. With their diverse perspectives, the panel is geared to influence grounded decision-making that reflects the city's community-centric "One Water, Zero Waste" vision as Seattle navigates its future utility and environmental challenges.
