Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) is a member-owned cooperative and on May 16th, the member-owners will exercise their right to elect their Board of Directors.
Who is a member of OPALCO? Anyone who receives an OPALCO power bill in their name is a member.
In this year’s election, there are six candidates running including two incumbents: Roger Crosby and Chris Thomerson; three nominated by committee: Winnie Adams, Joan Pedrick and Jeff Struthers; and one nominated by petition: Moriah Armstrong. (For more information on the candidates, see the accompanying article “OPALCO candidates”.)
OPALCO’s governing board consists of seven directors who are elected for three-year terms, with the elections staggered by district. Candidates are typically nominated by a committee appointed by the Board, but any member may seek nomination by petition with the signatures of at least fifteen voting members of their district.
Each director is elected by a vote of OPALCO members and all members may vote in every election, regardless of their home district. Each member household gets one ballot regardless of how many meters or accounts they may have.
Present directors are David Hylton and George Mulligan-District 1 (San Juan, Brown, Henry, Pearl and Spieden Islands); Roger Crosby and Chris Thomerson-District 2 (Orcas, Armitage, Big Double, Blakely, Fawn, Little Double, and Obstruction Islands); Jim Lett and Bob Myhr-District 3 (Lopez, Decatur, Center and Charles Islands); John Bogert-District 4 (Shaw, Bell, Canoe and Crane Islands). District 2 directors are up for election this year.
Absentee ballots are enclosed with OPALCO’s annual report, which will be arriving in mailboxes the first week of May. Absentee ballots must be received at the Eastsound OPALCO office no later than Friday, May 15th at noon. Ballots can also be cast at the annual meeting on the ferry, Saturday, May 16th where the election results will be announced. A quorum of at least 100 members is required at the annual meeting for the election to be held.
OPALCO’s 72nd Annual Meeting will be held on the ferry on Saturday, May 16th. Members from San Juan Island will board the ferry at 8:25 am (or ride the Mystic Sea by reservation only); Orcas Island at 10:20 am; Shaw Island at 10:35 am; and Lopez Island at 11:00 am. For the full travel schedule, please go to www.opalco.com.
Members and their families who attend the annual meeting will be treated to a healthy and delicious sack lunch, free gifts and the chance to win one of more than fifty fabulous door prizes such as power and garden tools, Mariner tickets, generous gift certificates, kitchen tools and appliances, camping and sporting equipment, OPALCO bill credits, art and merchandise from local businesses. Every member who attends will receive a $5 credit on their next bill.
OPALCO is a member-owned cooperative electrical utility serving more than 14,000 accounts on 20 islands in San Juan County. OPALCO provides electricity that is 97% greenhouse-gas free and is predominately generated by hydro-electric plants. OPALCO was founded in 1937 to bring electricity to rural islanders and is one of 900 electric co-ops in the United States today.
