— by Don Webster —
Are you upset with the dramatic increase in the cost of our electricity which is only starting to hit the islands and will become more onerous in the next few years? Do you dislike the substantial financial risk the OPALCO Board has forced onto the OPALCO owners (the membership) by embarking on a new Internet business venture and purchasing a competitor company? Do you think some major decisions, such as becoming a full Internet Service Provider and buying out competitor companies should come to the membership for a vote?
If your answer to any of these questions is yes then the ballot is simple to complete. Vote AGAINST both incumbents and elect the new candidates (Randy Cornelius and Ed Sutton). Those of us who are upset with the direction of the current OPALCO Management and Board of Directors need to send them a powerful “no-confidence” message. The way to send that message loud and clear is to start removing the current Board Members. Maybe you feel one or both of the new candidates have flaws, but the message here is that if you allow the incumbents to be re-elected, don’t expect them to start listening or considering the way the majority of the membership feels. They have clearly demonstrated a “we know better than the membership and we have the authority to take these actions without the approval of the COOP owners” perspective.
Let’s remove the incumbent Directors and hope that our new Directors understand that they will only have one term to show they can do better than the existing Directors.
While you’re completing the ballot, I also recommend you vote YES on the Member proposed Bylaw Amendment. This item will require OPALCO to send Email notices of Board Meetings and proposed Bylaw Changes to those OPALCO Members WHO REQUEST to receive those Emails. If you do not want to be notified, you will not get the Emails. Those of us who are concerned about the direction and management of our COOP will get timely Emails of these events. OPALCO is arguing against this measure because it will apparently cost several hundred dollars to set up and operate each year. That amount of money is truly a drop in the bucket of their budget. I believe the real reason they are fighting this Amendment is simply that they do not want to make it easier for concerned OPALCO Members to attend their meetings or question the Bylaw changes they may make.
In the end, if you don’t like what is happening, you need to cast your vote for changes!
Ed Sutton has not done a credible job at Eastsound Sewer and Randy is very much responsible for the financial mess we are in by convincing the Board that we needed to borrow millions and burdening us with debt that most members can’t afford. WE ARE SCREWED
Thank you, Don, for your thoughts. You are correct in that the current issue is the lack of communication between the Board and the Co-op members.
There is no “advice and consent”. At the candidates’ meetings last week, there was significant frustration by the folks in attendance with regard to the lack of transparency by the OPALCO organization, including comments from long-time employees. A sense of trust has been lost between the membership and the OPALCO organization.
Interestingly, Foster Hildreth, the general manager, commented in the Sounder last week about the recent decisions by the Board, and said only that the rate increases were necessary and a good decision. There was no explanation nor specific information that would help us all understand the necessity of the increases which will become onerous very quickly.
If the membership selects me to represent them on the Board, it is my intention to question the recent decisions on rate increases and the Rock Island acquisition. The decisions may have been sound. The membership deserves to know with more certainty and transparency if that is so.
Let’s restore the trust !!
– by Chom Greacen, Eric Youngren and Sandy Bishop –
We recommend voting for Randy J. Cornelius and Winnie Adams (incumbent).
(You can find out more about the full slate of candidates and their bio’s by following this link:https://www.opalco.com/news_article/opalco-board-candidates-announced/).
OPALCO is going through rapid changes and many issues have risen to the forefront. Having hosted the recent OPALCO Candidates Forums and followed OPALCO closely for years, we believe that Randy and Winnie are best suited to help mitigate the negative impacts of these monumental shifts in our coop. The three primary issues to watch are:
1) The board’s approval of a rapid and unprecedented rate increase. If the board does not change direction we will see a residential base rate of $79/month by 2019.
2) Transparency of decision making and
3) Keeping our electric coop strong and vital as OPALCO gets into the new business of broadband.
In March the following statement appeared on the OPALCO website: “Despite real hardships across the membership, this rate structure is the right thing to do for our Co-op”. We strongly disagree with this statement and want the board to consider a rate structure that does not unfairly burden those on fixed incomes, those who use the least electricity and those who are low-income.
We support affordable fiber internet service access in the San Juan County. If they have impacts on electricity rates, broadband-related investments must be done with full disclosure of information and participation in key important decisions by members-owners. We have been disappointed in the board’s track record in these areas lately.
Randy: Until his retirement a few months ago, Randy served as the General Manager for OPALCO. He is well versed in the financial position of OPALCO, the physical infrastructure of our electrical coop and he has a genuine passion for the members and the overall well being of our coop.
Winnie: Is currently an OPALCO board member. Her primary contribution is on conservation, renewables, and member relations. Winnie stated at a recent candidate forum, “we will have to re-examine the base rate issues”.
Please also consider voting YES to the member-initiated bylaw amendment to improve the transparency and accountability of unscheduled or exclusive board meetings.
We encourage you to vote in this very important election.
For more information on current issues please see: https://theorcasonian.com/what-lies-behind-opalcos-rate-increases
And https://theorcasonian.com/guest-column-opalcos-price-increases-shocking
You can also read about the outcome of the recent Candidates Forum here:
https://theorcasonian.com/opalco-forum-hearing-unpleasant-truths-making-necessary-changes