Saturday, May 4th on the Ferry
Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) is a local electric cooperative that is owned and operated by its members. On Saturday, May 4, 2013, the member-owners will exercise their right to elect their Board of Directors at the 76th Annual Meeting, from 9:45 to 11:15 a.m. on the ferry.
Members and their families who attend the 76th Annual Meeting will be treated to free gifts and a healthy and delicious lunch. Every member has a chance to win one of more than fifty fabulous door prizes, such as power and garden tools, 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 (one credit per membership.)
Who is a member of the Cooperative? Anyone who receives an OPALCO power bill has a membership; each member household gets one ballot regardless of how many meters or accounts they may have. All OPALCO members may vote in every election, regardless of their home district.
Two Board positions in District 3 (Lopez, Decatur, Center and Charles Islands) and one Board position in District 4 (Shaw, Bell, Canoe and Crane Islands) are up for election in 2013. Members may vote for any two candidates for District 3 AND one candidate for District 4.
Candidates for the Board are nominated by committee or by petition. The 2013 candidates nominated by committee are:
- District 3: Michael Karp, Jim Lett (incumbent) and Bob Myhr (incumbent)
- District 4: John Bogert (incumbent)
The 2013 candidates nominated by petition are:
- District 3: Jerrold R. Gonce and L. Dwight Lewis Jr.
Candidate bios are available online at www.opalco.com. The 2013 annual report will be distributed at the Annual Meeting and posted online.
Ballot packages with absentee ballots will be arriving in members’ mailboxes this week. All completed absentee ballot forms must be received by OPALCO, online or via the mail, no later than noon on Friday, May 3, to be valid. Voters must sign the front of their reply envelope in order for their vote to count. Members who turn in absentee ballots will be entered into a drawing for six $50 bill credits.
Ballots can also be cast in person at the Annual Meeting on the ferry on Saturday, May 4. Note: If you choose to vote in person, please do not bring your ballot to the Annual Meeting – a separate ballot will be issued to you on the ferry. The election results will be announced at the Annual Meeting and subsequently published at www.opalco.com and in local papers.
The OPALCO Annual Meeting meets requirements of the Co-op’s bylaws and the federal government. The purpose of the Annual Meeting is specifically to conduct the annual business of the Co-op and, as you know if you’ve ever attended, the election is the main event and the meeting moves very quickly. OPALCO staff will be circulating around the ferry to answer your questions, and a brief Q&A with the General Manager will follow the election. The meeting will not provide the time for an in-depth discussion of the broadband project. A schedule of public forums to discuss broadband will be distributed at the meeting and posted on the website following the meeting.
The Annual Meeting is scheduled early in the day,due to the spring ferry schedule. Please arrive at your ferry landing with plenty of time to park and register for the meeting. The travel schedule is as follows:
- Orcas: Register at the landing at 7:00 a.m. The ferry leaves at 8:50 a.m. and returns at 11:45 a.m.
- Shaw: The ferry leaves at 9:05 a.m. and returns at 12:35 p.m.; registration will be on board.
- Lopez: Register at the landing at 8:30 a.m. The ferry leaves at 9:35 a.m. and returns to Lopez at 11:30 a.m.
- San Juan: Members from San Juan Island will sail to Orcas by chartered boat, where they’ll get on the ferry. Limited space is available and reservations are required (call 376-3549). Please arrive at the Spring St. Landing at 6:45 a.m., register for the Annual Meeting, board the charter at 7:20 a.m., disembark on Orcas at 8:30 a.m. and leave on the Orcas ferry at 8:50 a.m. At 11:45 a.m. the ferry returns to Orcas Landing, where the charter departs at 11:50 a.m. and arrives at Friday Harbor by 1:00 p.m. Note: the charter boats are not wheelchair accessible and require a steep walk up and down the ramp from the Orcas ferry landing. If this would present a challenge, please take the 6:10 a.m. ferry to Orcas (arrives 7:35 a.m.).
If you are disabled or need special accommodations to participate in this meeting, please call 376-3549.
OPALCO is a member-owned cooperative electrical utility serving about 11,000 members on 20 islands in San Juan County. OPALCO provides electricity that is 95% greenhouse-gas free and is generated predominantly by hydro-electric plants. OPALCO was founded in 1937.
It is time to retire Bob Myhr. Bob is a very nice guy. I assume he didn’t beat his children. The problem with Bob Myhr is he does not care what we the members think. Bob thinks that he is too important to listen to the members. If you call him he will ask you to send a letter. The letter will probably wind up in the round file. Bob needs to excercise his personal power. I have experienced this FIRST HAND. It is time for a change. This type of autocratic behavior is wrong. Anyone but Bob Myhr.
On the other hand… A few years ago, when Bob Myhr was on the County Council, I had an issue with one particular aspect of the proposed CAO in its then-currant form. I wrote to all of the members of the Council, including my “own” member from Orcas West. Bob Myhr, the Lopez member, was the only one who read my email, answered it,& acted to make sure that it was directed to & noticed by the people who could help me. My letter did NOT wind up in the round file. I would vote for him for sure.