EAST WENATCHEE — Voters picked a new commissioner to serve on the East Wenatchee Water District board Tuesday.

G. Brian Egan challenged John D. Sterk, and is winning with 56 percent of the vote to serve in Position 2 for the next six years. Sterk had served in the position for the past two years.

Egan said he thinks his victory reflects a combination of his past administrative experience, his promise to serve without compensation, and the voters’ concerns about water rates.

“I felt that the public was not being listened to or treated in a professional manner,” Egan said this morning. Of the position, he added, “I realize it’s not a high-profile operation, until you turn on your faucet and there’s nothing there.”

Sterk said he’s not sure how to respond to Egan’s charge that commissioners were not listening to ratepayers.

“I don’t know why it turned out the way it did,” he said. As for whether ratepayers were being listened to, Sterk said, “I think that was impression that some people had about the water district, that in my opinion is not accurate.”

He added that some people may have voted for Egan because of his promise not to accept compensation. “He made it a big part of his campaign, and I would expect, and I think the ratepayers would expect him to live up to it.”

Egan said he plans to serve without pay. It’s part of his belief in serving his community, he said.

“I said I’ll take no pay for this, and I entirely believe that the people heard that,” he said. Egan added that too often politicians get elected and then begin to take care of themselves, and begin to vote as their colleagues expect.

He said he hopes his aptitude and experience overseeing transportation and operations for Lake Stevens, Northshore and Bethel school districts, and his service as a Lake Stevens Sewer District commissioner will help the board as it reviews projects and develops new budgets. “I hope I can enhance the budgetary process, and streamline it,” he said.