OPALCO Board Elections Open April 13

— from Suzanne Olson —

2017 OPALCO Board Candidates Bill Severson, Vince Dauciunas and Mark Madsen on Shaw Island.

OPALCO is a member-owned cooperative governed by a Board of Directors who are elected by the membership. Members will have a chance to vote for two open board positions in the election that opens on Apr. 13. There are three candidates for the two open positions in District 1 (San Juan, Brown, Henry, Pearl and Spieden islands): Vince Dauciunas, Mark Madsen and Bill Severson. All Co-op members vote in all elections, regardless of their home district.

The three candidates participated in election forums on four islands during the week of Mar. 28, presenting their campaign platforms and answering questions from members in attendance. In addition, each candidate completed a written Q&A which will be posted online at www.opalco.com/elections. You can also find candidate bios, the Voter’s Guide and a video of the San Juan Island Candidate Forum posted online in OPALCO’s Resource Library (see link above).

Ballots and voting materials will be sent on Apr. 13 to members via email or mail, depending on each member’s stated preference. All ballots must be returned online or by mail before the deadline of Thursday, May 4, 2017 at 10:30 a.m.

Please be aware that there will no longer be any voting on the boat during the annual meeting, in order to have more time for member activities and discussion.

Any paper ballots must be mailed in time to meet the May 4 deadline and will not be accepted in OPALCO offices. Election results will be announced at the Annual Meeting.

OPALCO will celebrate its 80th Anniversary at the Annual Meeting on Saturday, May 6 aboard a Washington State Ferry. The travel schedule is available online in OPALCO’s Resource Library. Members traveling from San Juan Island must make a reservation by calling 376-3549.

Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) is our member-owned cooperative electric utility, serving more than 11,000 members on 20 islands in San Juan County. OPALCO provides electricity that is 95% greenhouse-gas free and is generated predominantly by hydroelectric plants. OPALCO was founded in 1937.