Good luck Joe

The Town of Front Royal lost a good man when Joe Waltz left as town manager.

I had the pleasure of working with Joe when I sat on the Town Council from 2002 to 2006. At that time Joe was the head of the Electric Department. Front Royal is one of only a handful of communities in the state of Virginia that runs its own electric department, buying in bulk from outside suppliers and distributing it to customers inside the limits of Front Royal.

This is done through a very complex distribution system, and maintained by a group of highly trained technicians. This system has served the citizens of Front Royal very well over the years, providing Front Royal with dependable and very affordable electricity.

With the deregulation of the electrical grid by the federal government in the late 1990s, the winners and losers in the electricity game was up for grabs. Chaos ruled and no one really knew how things would shake out.

Front Royal was no exception.

Prices for wholesale electricity were all over the board. Where would Front Royal contract for its wholesale electrical purchases? Which company, which producer, who was legit, and who was a trojan horse, and who was a paper tiger?

The Town Council at that time was made up of neophytes, including me, when it came to the electricity menagerie. We depended heavily on ‘the man in charge’ of the department at that time to help us understand the options. And in the end, to help make the decisions that would affect Front Royal citizens for years to come.

With a steady hand from Joe, as well as the town manager at the time, Mike Graham, the Town Council was able to make some very sound decisions. Now some 14 years later, Front Royal can offer a very dependable electric supply from a number of varied sources including solar, all at a price that is probably still one of the lowest in the state. For that you can thank Joe Waltz and of course the other excellent public servants who make it happen on a daily basis.

So Joe – Good luck. You served the Town of Front Royal well.

Stan Brooks
Mayor 1992-96
Council 2002 -06