By admin 
Voters will have two options this year when selecting a candidate to represent Ward 3 on the Sacramento Municipal Utility District Board of Directors: longtime incumbent Gregg Fishman and first-time candidate Scott Slotterbeck.
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Fishman was first elected to the SMUD board in 2014 and has served since 2015. He said he chose to run again because he loves being a part of providing an essential service, keeping costs low and representing SMUD in the community. Slotterbeck is a retired research analyst who is passionate about the environment, particularly animal conservation.
Where is the ward?
Ward 3 covers eastern portions of the city of Sacramento, including East Sacramento, Cal Expo, Swanson Estates, River Park, Campus Commons and College-Glen, according to the SMUD website. Multiple southeastern Sacramento neighborhoods east of Power Inn Road, such as Depot Park and Power Ridge, are also within the ward.
Portions of Arden Arcade, Rosemont, Florin, Carmichael and Vineyard in unincorporated Sacramento County are represented in Ward 3.
Who are the candidates?
Fishman has been on the SMUD board since 2015, after being elected the year prior. He started his career in journalism and worked as a reporter and anchor at KFBK radio in Sacramento. He also previously worked as a public information officer for SMUD and the California ISO, a nonprofit corporation that operates the power grid for most of California.
Fishman said in an interview with The Sacramento Bee that one of his priorities is to continue SMUD’s transition away from carbon-based energy without increasing costs for customers. He said one of his strongest skills is communicating complex issues to the public, especially because of his background in the energy industry.
In addition to the energy supply, Fishman said he wants to support SMUD’s community outreach efforts.
“I love that aspect providing this essential service (and) trying as hard as we can to keep it as affordable as possible,” Fishman said. “We also play this incredible role in the Sacramento community of supporting nonprofits and trying to expand our regional reach in terms of economic development and job creation and job training.”
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Slotterbeck, who has lived in Sacramento for most of his life, has never run for public office. He worked as a research analyst for the California Employment Development Department for 35 years and retired in 2010. Following retirement, he has done some film work, including writing three short films.
He said he decided to pursue the SMUD Ward 3 board seat after he cited a statistic from the nonprofit American Bird Conservancy — which estimates that between 700,000 and 1 million birds are killed annually by U.S. wind turbines — during a board meeting and received little response.
Slotterbeck said his priorities are keeping power affordable, protecting the environment and exploring nuclear energy. He said he supports pursuing nuclear energy because it requires less land, produces fewer carbon emissions and, in his view, poses less risk to birds. He also pointed to developing technology intended to address nuclear waste.
Slotterbeck said he appreciates that SMUD has a goal of reaching zero carbon emissions from its power supply by 2030, but he is concerned the utility is not taking enough concrete steps to meet that target.
“One of my main themes in my campaign is we want to have power, but we want to have as minimal impact on the environment as possible,” Slotterbeck said.
Who is funding the race?
Fishman’s campaign has received about $25,224 in contributions through June 30, according to Sacramento County filings. Among the larger contributions was a combined $6,000 from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1245 and the union’s political contribution account. The Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 447 Federal Political Action Fund also contributed $5,000.
Most of Fishman’s contributions came from individuals, with many donations in the $100 to $250 range. Sacramento City Council member Roger Dickinson was among the donors.
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Slotterbeck said he has not raised money for the race and does not intend to.
This story was originally published September 29, 2026 at 10:40 AM.