Public Utility Board Vice-Chair Anita Gallagher grew up in Tacoma, where her family’s experiences helped shape her interest in public service.
One set of her grandparents immigrated from China and ran a business on South Tacoma Way. Her other grandparents came to the area when her grandfather served in the Army at Fort Lewis, now Joint Base Lewis McChord. An aunt who was active in public service and political campaigns also inspired Gallagher’s interest in public policy.
“I think I was attracted to public policy because of the opportunity to try and improve the quality of life for my fellow residents,” said Gallagher.
Gallagher joined the Public Utility Board in 2023 and is serving a term through 2031. She currently serves as vice-chair. She is also the government relations director for Pierce County. Before joining the county, she operated her own government relations firm and held roles with Lime, the City of Tacoma, and Tacoma Public Utilities.
“It always felt like a natural fit with the things I think I’m good at and what I’m passionate about.”
What motivated you to apply for the board?
Gallagher’s interest began during her earlier work with Tacoma Public Utilities, when she presented to the board and worked with community members on budget and rate discussions.
“Those interactions gave me a deep appreciation for the board’s policy work and sparked my interest in serving one day. “
After leaving TPU, Gallagher applied when a board position became available.
“I was honored to be selected and recently reappointed for another term.”
What do you wish more customers understood about their public utility?
Gallagher points to three areas: the range of services we provide, the value of public ownership, and the scale of the infrastructure needed to provide those services.
Many customers may not realize we operate three distinct utilities: Tacoma Power, Tacoma Water, and Tacoma Rail, a municipally owned short line railroad.
Gallagher also values the connection customers have to their publicly owned utilities.
“It plays a major role in the local economy and is helping to reduce carbon emissions in the Port of Tacoma,” she said.
Gallager added that it is easy to take for granted that we have publicly owned utilities. Unlike with an investor-owned utility, you have a direct path to interact with the people governing the essential services you depend on.
“Hopefully, these articles help customers get to know their public utility board members and understand that we are accessible,” Gallagher said.
We manage and maintain a vast portfolio of infrastructure needed to provide clean water and reliable power, including dams, hatcheries, and water filtration facilities.
“Most of those facilities are located outside our service area, so customers don’t see them every day,” explained Gallagher.
What do you appreciate about working with the rest of the Board and TPU staff?
Gallagher said the board’s diverse mix of professional backgrounds leads to thoughtful questions, healthy debate, and occasional challenges to each other’s perspectives.
“That diversity helps us examine issues from multiple angles and results in stronger decision-making for our customers,” Gallagher said.
She also appreciates our staff’s wide range of expertise.
“I enjoy working with the staff,” said Gallagher. “Their knowledge and engagement make our discussions more effective and support well-informed, high-quality policymaking.”
What strengths do you think TPU has that aren’t always visible to customers?
Gallagher referenced something former Mayor Marilyn Strickland often said: “In government, if you are doing your job right, the public shouldn’t have to think about you.”
“TPU does a good job providing very reliable services and mobilizing resources to restore services as quickly as possible when we do have outages,” Gallagher said. “And, we have exceptional water quality standards, so our customers can feel confident drinking the water we deliver.”
These behind‑the‑scenes efforts mean most customers rarely have to think about their utilities, which Gallagher said is a sign that our utility is doing its job well, and the community can take pride in the dependable, safe services it delivers.