Frankly Speaking Ep. 15: Commissioner Sonya Carlson

In this episode of the Frankly Speaking podcast, GM Frank Lawson flipped the script to interview EWEB Commissioner Sonya Carlson to get to know her motivations for volunteering as a decision-maker on the Board.

Carlson shared that her path to nine years of service on the EWEB Board started with her childhood spent around water treatment plants. In the small town where she grew up, she says her dad ran both water and wastewater systems, so she’s always had a respect for the work to provide drinking water to the community.

In her career, Carlson has held positions that connect the dots from sustainability to policy to operations, having worked as the graduate fellow in the Office of Sustainability at the University of Oregon, the chief of staff for an Oregon legislator, and VP of operations at a local factory. She currently works in the non-profit sector as the Executive Director of Bring, the Glenwood-based recycling, resale and business sustainability NGO.

When a former commissioner encouraged her to run for the EWEB Board, she jumped in and hasn’t looked back.

Carlson reflected on some of the projects she’s most proud of, including the major water storage facilities at E. 40th and Patterson and at College Hill, smart meter implementation, and investments that strengthen EWEB’s long-term resiliency. From preparing for ice storms and earthquakes to navigating an unexpected pandemic, she emphasized how much careful planning goes into keeping services reliable and safe.

Carlson also talked openly about the tough side of being a commissioner – making decisions that not everyone agrees with – while staying focused on what’s best for the whole community.
She wrapped up with a big thank-you to EWEB employees, noting that the reason people rarely think about their water or power is because staff are doing their jobs so well.