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News and Updates from Seattle City Light

Seattle City (spot)Light: Matt Stapleton

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Matt Stapleton joined Seattle City Light in September 2018. As part of the team at Boundary Dam, Matt serves the utility as an electrical constructor apprentice. “I like to refer to my position as the ‘sponge role’ because I’m always hungry for new information and am eager to learn,” Matt explained.

He lives in Pend Oreille County, not too far from Boundary Dam. “I moved around a lot as a kid, but I think I decided to stay in Washington state because we get to experience all four seasons,” Matt shared. Before joining City Light’s apprenticeship program, Matt served in the Marine Corps and attended Avista Lineman School.

In this week’s (spot)Light, learn about Matt’s hobbies, his work and life in northeastern Washington.

“There is a lot of outdoor activity in Pend Oreille County. I enjoy hiking in the summer and splitboarding in the winter. Splitboarding is my favorite activity. I also enjoy woodworking and am currently in the process of building a tiny house out of a recycled shipping container.”

“I was attracted to City Light because of its culture. I am a strong believer in workplace equity. The RSJI program that the City implements brings a lot to the table for people of color. It’s night and day from other utilities where I’ve worked.”

“I really enjoy my job. I work one-on-one with a Journeyman electrical worker to complete new construction jobs, annual maintenances, and general electrical maintenances around Boundary Dam – all for the purpose of bringing clean, reliable and efficient energy to our customers. My favorite project at the moment is working on this year’s overhaul/rewind; there are so many moving parts to it. And it’s all part of the exciting work that’s happening at Boundary. It’s extremely awesome to be involved this early into my apprenticeship.”

Seattle City (spot)Light: Kevin Gorman

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Kevin Gorman began his City career with Seattle Public Utilities before joining City Light in 2017 as part of an out of class assignment. “I love the job and pursued it full-time,” he shared. The job? Working on the LED Streetlight Conversion Program in the Joint Use and Streetlight Engineering group.

Kevin was born in Waco, Texas but has lived in Washington for 32 years. “I’m all evergreens, flannel shirts and raincoats,” he shared. “The seascapes, sunrises and mountains keep me hanging around.” He served in the Coast Guard as a Boatswain’s Mate before pursuing multiple degrees – an A.A. in psychology, a B.S. in small business management/entrepreneurship and a project management certificate from the University of Washington.

In this week’s (spot)Light, Kevin talks about his job, life in Bremerton and his hobbies.

“Like the MXPX song, I moved to Bremerton. I started looking for a home at the start of the housing crisis and was fortunate to stumble upon a place that I should not talk about, because it’s that great! Now only a 30-minute ferry from Seattle, I can walk three blocks from my house, take a free cruise and be downtown. Community is important to me and Bremerton has everything I was looking for.”  

“I was elected to Bremerton City Council in 2017 and presently chair Bremerton’s Public Works Committee and Vice-chair the Finance and Investment Committee. The work is quite interesting, stressful, and rewarding. It adds a new perspective to my work at City Light. I just returned from a monumental trip to Bremerton’s Sister City – Kure, Japan – with my daughter, Summer. We celebrated the 50-year anniversary of the Sister City program and Summer’s 17th birthday!”

“I also chair the Manette Neighborhood Coalition, an organization that provides a unified voice for neighbors and hosts several community events. I own a few rental units that keep me swinging hammers and rolling paint. When I find the time, I like woodworking, making stop animation films and music production.”

“Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) revolutionized the streetlight industry. In my role, I get to research, test and install new streetlight equipment that significantly reduces City Light’s carbon footprint, maintenance and energy cost. My big goal for the program is to implement streetlight control infrastructure, and a robust GIS platform for managing the 85,000+ assets. I’m especially proud of the work we completed for the Historic Globe lights in Pioneer Square and Downtown. The process was challenging, and the payoff is what I consider the most beautiful LED installation in the country, but I could be biased.”

“I’m really into the industry and equipment research, strategic planning, and spreadsheets. But my favorite part of the job are the relationships with the talented and supportive staff across all the utility. After 11 years with the city, I found exactly where I belong.”

Seattle City (spot)Light: Brandon Melland

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Brandon Melland has been at City Light for 13 years. A journeyman lineman, Brandon began his City Light career as part of the pre-apprentice program. “I’m currently in an out-of-class position as the journeyman assigned to Safety, Health and Wellness (JSHaW). It’s my job to work with crews at our service centers and be an advocate to make changes for the better, “Brandon explained. “Each craft – line, network, tech metering and stations – has its own JSHaW representative. I’m assigned to line which is exciting. I get to work with groups like safety and engineering to help push projects forward. I like it quite a bit.”

Brandon grew up in the Mill Creek area and attended Shoreline Community College where he earned an associate’s degree in Arts & Sciences. “I was accepted into the University of Washington and was just about to transfer, but I changed course and applied for the pre-apprentice lineworker program.” He lives in Bothell with his wife Kristal and their two sons, Sean and Brian.

In this week’s (spot)Light, Brandon talks about his work at the utility, his family and hobbies.

“My family and I like to travel. We’ve been to Japan twice and are planning our third trip. It’s an awesome country and has so much great food. We also like going to Canada. Norway and Hawaii are also on our travel list. I also enjoy woodworking. I inherited a bunch of tools and since I like to work with my hands, I started to build things. Nothing too involved, but I built our bed frame and a few tables.”

“Cooking is popular in our home. My mom and grandma were good cooks, but I didn’t get into it until I started cooking with my wife. She’s a tremendous cook. We do everything – from making our own pasta noodles to baking doughnuts from scratch. I also like to cook fish. My uncles and I take a fishing trip to Alaska just about every year. We visit a town called Soldotna and fish for sockeye salmon along the Kenai River. I like to do nice barbeques with the fish I bring back!”

“I’ve worked in multiple capacities at City Light, from powerline clearance with vegetation management to the docks where we build, maintain and troubleshoot powerlines. I’ve also been involved in different training opportunities. I helped develop our tower rescue program and still do tower rescue. It’s also been fun to work with our apprenticeship team. I’ve participated in some of the outreach efforts where we go to schools and talk to kids about our careers and how being a lineworker is a viable career path. I recently got involved with Grassroots Safety because I care about City Light getting better and safer for the people who work here, myself included. It seems like a good path to make change.”

“I enjoy my work – it’s very satisfying. It’s nice to see a project through completion; to see the results of your labor. Storm work is also very satisfying. It’s the most fun because people are happy to see you for a change! Most of the time, we’re either invisible, in the way or turning off people’s power. But with storm, we’re everyone’s best friend…their heroes…because we’re restoring power. And those reactions are fun.”

Seattle City (spot)Light: Armand Shahbazian

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Armand Shahbazian joined Seattle City Light in 2015 as an intern in Network Services Engineering. He continued his work in Street Light Engineering and was later hired on the Distribution Services Engineering team. He recently accepted a new position back in Streetlight Engineering! “I’ll be working on new capital improvement projects throughout the city,” Armand explained. “Installing new street lighting on the waterfront and re-doing some of the lighting on 23rd Avenue in South Seattle. One of our group’s larger projects is the installation of 5G antennas on streetlight poles. I’m going to be super busy!”

Growing up in Bellevue, Armand moved a short distance to attend college at Seattle University where he studied electrical engineering. “I just finished my first quarter back at Seattle U where I’m pursuing my master’s degree in public administration!”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Armand shares how he found City Light, his role at the utility, and range of exciting hobbies.

Armand enjoying one of his favorite activities!

“When I was in undergrad, I applied to a scholarship through the American Public Power Association. I was selected and part of the requirement was to meet with a sponsoring utility that happened to be City Light. I met the director of Energy Delivering Engineering which is pretty much the team that I work with now! I shadowed the director for a little bit and it really piqued my interest in the utility.”

“Thankfully all of my positions have meshed together in a way. I interned with Network Service Engineering which covers all of downtown Seattle’s services. One of my biggest projects was working on the machines that freeze the soil for the seawall construction. It was so cool seeing the impact of my work! Street Light engineering covers City Light’s entire service territory so having the network experience was very helpful because we had to use similar resources. It was super nice to have that background. In distribution, I connect people to our grid but in a different system.”

“I’m super pumped for my new position! It’s a lot of plan reviewing. When there are large capital projects, businesses have to apply for a permit from SDOT and City Light reviews the plans. We make sure that they’re going to build something to our standards and regulations.”

“I really love to ride motorcycles! I do that whenever the weather is nice, so in the Northwest, that’s basically spring and summer. I also enjoy going camping and backpacking. I try to take six camping trips per year along with one to two backpacking excursions. I’ve traveled to Canada a lot this year and have really enjoyed exploring the area. I still need to visit Banff National Park. That’s on the bucket list for sure! Surprisingly, I haven’t done much in Washington yet. I’ve done more international traveling up to this point, but I definitely need to see more of the United States. Last year I took a trip to Boston and rented a car to just drive around and state hop along the coast (Maine, New Hampshire, etc.). It was so beautiful!”

Seattle City (spot)Light: Nicole Schultz

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Nicole Schultz has worked at City Light since 2011, but her City career began in 1997 as an intern for Seattle Police Department (SPD). She continued with the City by joining Seattle Municipal Court in 2001 and then the Mayor’s Office in 2002. She is now a Senior Marketing Strategist on the Communications Team where she’s served the past eight years. “My main focus is marketing conservation programs to our residential customer base,” Nicole explained. “My work covers a plethora of topics like energy efficiency, how to lower your bill, ways to save energy, different types of technologies like appliances, lighting, solar and our Green-Up program.”

Nicole was born and raised in Seattle. “I’ve lived in the Seattle and Shoreline area pretty much my whole life,” Nicole shared. A true local, Nicole attended Edmonds Community College before transferring to the University of Washington where she majored in Sociology. She recently moved to Lake Forest Park with her son Jackson and two dogs, Buddy and Swayze.

In this week’s (spot)Light, she talks about her community, her role at City Light and shares her favorite hobbies.

“Before getting into marketing, I wanted to be a police officer. I minored in Society Injustice and one of the requirements was to have an internship. So, I interned at SPD in the Crime Survivor Unit. I loved it so much that after my internship was complete, I stayed on as a volunteer for three years!”

“I love to golf. It’s one of my favorite things to do. I go to Alta Lake Golf Resort as much as I can. My dad is the one who got me into golf – he was the golfer. When I was ten years old, he would sneak me into the Jackson Park Golf Course. That’s how I learned, and I became hooked. I take my son Jackson golfing, too. He can play an 18-hole golf course!”

“I’m also very active in my community. I’ve been involved with the Shoreline Little League for many years and currently serve as the president. After my term is up, I plan to stay on the board. I love the community. It’s so much fun watching Jackson and his team. I also love to gamble and going to casinos. I’ve been lucky and have had two big wins on scratch tickets!”

“I’m big on family and spend almost all my time with Jackson. He’s the main reason for everything I do. In fact, one of my rituals is to take a quick walk to Jackson Street. It’s reminds me why I’m here and provides me with a sense of gratitude. It reminds me to be grateful for where I am and is motivation to keep on going. It works out since I also love to exercise and try to move as much as I can!”

“One thing I’ve always liked about my job is that I’m always learning. It’s constantly evolving because we must keep up with new technologies. But it’s more than knowing the new gadget on the market. It’s also about keeping up with best practices and understanding how the industry is operating and functioning. And people always want to save money! A huge part of my job is telling our customers how they can save money. So, it’s not a hard thing to talk about.”



Seattle City (spot)Light: Nathan MacDonald

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Nathan MacDonald has worked at City Light for two years. He’s a part of the Communications division where he works as a Senior Public Relations Specialist. “A lot of my job is positioning the utility as a thought leader within our industry and as a subject matter expert for local media along with other publications,” Nathan explained. “I’m also the editor of our Light Reading newsletter and manage the social media account for Skagit Tours.”  

Born in Canada, Nathan moved to Texas when he was eight years old. He studied integrated marketing and communications at Abilene Christian University in Texas and later attended Florida State University to earn his master’s in integrated marketing communications with a focus in multicultural marketing (he’s a huge Florida State football fan).  

In this week’s (spot)Light, Nathan talks about his journey to Washington, a range of hobbies and his passion for promoting others. 

Nathan and his wife Megan

“I met my wife Megan in choir at Abilene Christian University. She grew up here and I fell in love with Washington when I first visited in 2007. It was just too gorgeous not to live here! In 2015, I accepted a job with Edmonds Community College, so we made our way to the Northwest. It took us seven days to drive across the country in a moving truck with our car on a trailer. We got our truck stuck twice on the trip! Once in West Monroe, Louisiana on an abandoned road and the second at a truck stop in Canton, Texas. It was a character-building trip and one we’ll never forget.”  

“My wife and I took up hiking this year. We’ve done Bridal Veil Falls, Hurricane Hill in Olympic National Park and others near the Skagit Hydroelectric Project. I still really want to do the Diablo Lake Trail that starts at the North Cascades Institute and eventually overlooks Ross Dam. That’s one I’d really like to do if not this fall, then sometime next year.” 

“Growing up in Texas, I’ve always been a huge fan of barbecue. A few years ago, I started smoking my own briskets! They take around 14 hours to smoke so we invite friends over, hang out and eat. When I turned 30, I took a barbecue tour across Texas. We drove about 1,300 miles in four days and ate at six to seven barbecue stops across the state. We hit up some of the classics including Franklin Barbecue. It usually has a three-four hour wait but it was worth it!”

“Most of my career prior to City Light was in higher education. Being in the public sector and being a public servant is something I’ve really enjoyed. One of my biggest values is to promote good and promote others. This job gives the opportunity to promote the amazing work that we’re doing. Our Communications team is incredibly talented and creative which is something that really drew me to this position. I enjoy being one of the utility’s storytellers; there are so many cool projects, initiatives and human-interest stories to tell. I hope people will continue to share their stories with us. Not only do they enrich our work, but they also help City Light shine as an example of a premier utility and City department.”

Seattle City (spot)Light: Doug Erwin

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Doug Erwin has been at City Light for nearly five and a half years. He’s part of the Utility Operations & Engineering business unit where he works as a Senior Automotive Engineer. “I’m a solitary person in this class,” Doug explained. “My network includes other automotive engineers and City departments. We collaborate on designs and work with the Green Fleets team on their initiatives to meet the Mayor’s mandates of fleet reductions, electrification and greenhouse gas reductions.” 

Doug lives in Port Orchard with his wife Karen and their family. He holds a Master of Arts Degree in Organizational Management with a focus in Project Management from Ashford University, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in the same program also from Ashford and an associate degree from Central Texas College. Doug is also a Certified Automotive Fleet Manager designated by the NAFA Fleet Management Association.

In this week’s (spot)Light, Doug talks about the Navy, work in Fleets and his hobbies.

Doug with his family

“Karen and I are from the High Sierras in California.  We both grew up near Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.  Our parents worked in the National Forest and made their livings there.  We originally transferred to Washington with the Navy and have been residents since, though my Navy career took us to Japan, Guam and back to California. I’ve always felt a strong connection to Washington. “

“I’m an avid outdoorsman. I teach hunter education and own a firearms training business.  I enjoy working with people who have a desire to learn.  I also volunteer for the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. I feel I’m making a good and positive impact on younger people about firearms and being responsible when handling them.  I’ve recently rekindled my love for archery and spend time honing that skill.  We also like to travel the country and see historical locations.”

“I spent 22 years in the Navy which gave me a strong desire to be a part of a large organization with a public focus. City Light has helped my appreciation for vehicles and equipment evolve. Our Fleets team works hard to meet our customer needs while remaining within the guiding regulations. We must know the governing regulations of vehicles and equipment to correctly write the specifications for our vendors to provide accurate quotes.  I prepare purchasing documents, work with vendors and contractors to either build the vehicle or mate a body to a chassis and install the equipment to provide a complete service-ready vehicle.  I currently have 43 capital (new build) projects for 2019 with about six refit projects where I modify equipment already in service.  These are challenging due to the equipment being needed for work daily and the vendor needs time to complete the work.   

“I’ve interacted with just about every group at the utility. I enjoy the relationships I’ve nurtured and have fun connecting people to network and get things done.  City Light is always changing; I see myself as a constant of knowing who’s who and getting people the help they need.  I also enjoy working on the Incident Management Team (IMT).  I’ve held several positions on what the Navy calls the IMT and I still enjoy doing it after all these years.”

Seattle City (spot)Light: Robert Duggan

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Robert Duggan began his City Light career in 2016 as an intern for the Communications Team. He re-joined the team in March 2019 as a Digital Marketing Strategist. “I create content, implement new digital marketing tools, improve the online experience and execute digital campaigns,” Robert explained. “I’m also responsible for developing goals and reports to guide our efforts and ensure our customers get value from our communications.”

Born and raised in Washington, Robert grew up outside of Spokane. He moved to Seattle in 2013 to attend college at Seattle University where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration. “I originally had plans to move out of state, but I fell in love with the city and can’t imagine leaving now,” Robert shared. “I live in Capitol Hill and have never lived somewhere that is so vibrant and energetic, while still maintaining the feeling of a close-knit community.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Robert talks about his hobbies, his traveling experiences and what he values about his role at the utility.

Robert at the Vista House in Portland

“I have a degree in Business Administration from Seattle University. Initially, I thought I’d have a career in finance before realizing that marketing was much more rewarding for me. That change in plans and my love to travel resulted in a double major in Finance and Marketing with a minor in International Business. My favorite experience attending Seattle U was studying in Madrid for four months to complete my minor. Sangria and tapas make class much more manageable.”

“I’ll never pass up a weekend getaway. I love traveling and experiencing new places, plus I come back with a greater appreciation for home every time. This year, I have traveled to St. Louis, Boise, Denver, Eugene, Chicago, and Hawaii. Next up is San Antonio and Las Vegas before the year wraps up! When I’m not planning my next trip, I’m running around the city visiting plant nurseries and thrift stores adding to the mini jungle in my apartment.”

“When I started at City Light as an intern, I had no idea how much work the Communications team takes on. From crisis communication to marketing energy efficiency programs, there is always a new and pressing challenge. Even at a not-for-profit organization, there is a huge need for marketing. We have the same responsibility any business has, which is to make sure we offer services and information that our customers need and want.”

“Our role as marketers always involves aspects of change management. I love that work. I get to partner with people from across the City to ensure we have thought of and addressed everything our customers will need. Being able to provide new tools, insights, campaign strategies, and customer-centric content is very rewarding. Working somewhere that has such a strong, shared goal of making Seattle a better place to live and work is amazing.”


Seattle City (spot)Light: Irina Rasputnis

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Irina Rasputnis has worked at City Light for nearly two years as the Executive Director of the Lighting Design Lab which is part of Customer Energy Solutions (CES). “I’ve worked in lighting and energy efficiency for over a decade,” Irina shared. “With my engineering background, I intentionally pursued jobs that were environmentally focused.”

Originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, Irina studied chemical engineering at Northeastern University in Boston and urban planning at Tufts University. She lives in Tacoma with her husband Patrick and their three-year old daughter Raya.  “My husband and I met on a layover at the Denver airport when I was on my way to a Department of Energy conference!” Irina said chuckling.

In this week’s (spot)Light, learn about Irina’s cross-country bike ride, passion for community building and finding her niche.

Irina with her family

“When I first entered the job market, green tech was a big buzzword. I secured good jobs, but I wanted to do exciting things right from the get-go. The roles weren’t interesting; it wasn’t the kind of work I wanted to be doing. So, I took a year off and did a cross-country bike ride. During that time, I was supposed to figure out what I wanted to do, but I was more focused on my ride and where I was going to sleep! A lot of people opened their doors to me and shared different resources. It got me thinking about communities and I decided that I wanted to be a community builder.”

“But I didn’t really know how to do that. I started attending different lectures and universities to learn more. I was introduced to an urban planning graduate program at Tufts University. It was fascinating, but I still didn’t see a role for myself. Then I discovered the field of energy efficiency. It had a technical component but also the policy side that’s connected to how people function in society. It felt like the niche I needed to pursue.”

“Being in the industry, I knew about the Lighting Design Lab. I liked the work they were doing and had worked with people there that I respected. But it wasn’t until I met my current manager, Edward Smalley, at a national conference that I really became interested in working there. He painted a picture of the Design Lab that matched up with my hopes for what I wanted to pursue. It got me very excited.”

“I used to be an avid cyclist. I’d do long-distance and multi-day rides, like my cross-country trek. It’s been hard to get back into it since my daughter is still young. She’s not steady on a bike but she’s working on her scooter skills! I also played in bands and really enjoyed that. I wasn’t any good, but I looked like I was having fun and that’s what allows the audience to have fun. So, it didn’t matter to me if I was good! I play the bass clarinet. I like playing goofy music, stuff that’s fun. I’ve been wanting to start a CES band, but it’s been tough working with everyone’s busy schedules. I’m open to starting a City Light band. Reach out if you’re interested, but you have to like goofy music!”

Seattle City (spot)Light: Todd Newcombe

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Todd Newcombe has been at City Light for 18 ½ years. He’s part of the Customer Operations teams where he works as an Office Aide. “I do a lot of data entry and computer-based work,” Todd explained.

A native Washingtonian, Todd grew up in the Federal Way area where he currently lives. “My family still lives in the area,” Todd shared. “I very much enjoy spending time with my three nieces and my brother and sister-in-law. It’s nice to just hang out – I cherish the time.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Todd talks about his friends, his work at City Light and shares a few hobbies.

“I heard about this job through Scott Richter. He and I have been friends since elementary school. His dad was the one who told me about the position because he thought it would be a good fit for me. Scott encouraged me to apply. In fact, he said that if they didn’t hire me they would be making a mistake!”

“I went to Federal Way High School and was part of the employment transition program. It provided a lot of training and gave me a strong sense of community and a good network of people. I like being around people and knowing what they’re all about. It’s fun to talk with others and discuss different topics. They get to know me a lot better that way, too.”

“I like to watch movies and listen to music – I like soft-rock. I’m also excited to see the new Lion King movie. As for sports, I’m a Mariners fan and also watch the Seahawks.”

“I like my co-workers and the friends that I have at City Light. It makes me feel very confident in what I do. I’m grateful to have a job like this – to be around the people at work, day after day. It makes me feel very happy to come to work and very excited to do what I do each day.”