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Seattle City (spot)Light: Mario Gama, Tool Room Custodian

The Basics

How long have you been at City Light? On Oct. 22, 2022, I will have forty years with City Light. 

Division: Transmission & Distribution Operations 

Tell us about your role. What does your job entail? My position for the past two years has been tool room custodian. I make sure the tool room is running smoothly and is well stocked with all the tools our crews need for the different types of jobs they perform. I have two great guys who work with me, J.D. Webster and Sean Jackson. The first 38 years, I worked out in the field with the right-of-way crews, overhead line crews, pole crew, underground residential distribution crews, and the network crews.

North end right-of-way crew out of Bothell Substation (1985). That’s me, front row far left.

Background

Hometown: Gardena, Calif. 

Alma Mater: Gardena High School and the prestigious “School of Hard Knocks.” 

Tell us about your family: I have a wonderful wife, two daughters, a son, and two grandsons. 

Just for Fun

What was your first job and what did you do? Besides my paper route, I worked at Winchell’s Donut House making and frying doughnuts. 

What’s one thing that has surprised you about working at City Light? The one thing that has surprised me at City Light after all these years is being able to see all the changes that have taken place and knowing that I was able to be a part of it, whether good or bad. 

If you could have any job for only one day what would it be and why? This may sound a little creepy, but I think I would want to be a homicide detective for a day. I find it very interesting how they collect evidence and interview people as they try to piece together what happened and hopefully catch the killer. 

What is your favorite travel memory/experience? My favorite travel memory was a trip to Europe. We went on a 14-day cruise out of Southampton, England. We went to Guernsey, Cork and Dublin in Ireland; Liverpool in England; Inverness in Scotland; and Paris, France. 

What was your first concert? My first concert was when I saw the Rolling Stones in 1975.