— from Chom Graecen —
At the OPALCO Election this year we saw a record voter turnout, 24% compared to around 15% in the past years. The high voter turnout means we members-owners are paying more attention to the business of our co-op. Thank you all who voted.
Winnie Adams got the most votes (1,643) followed by OPALCO former manager Randy Cornelius (1,597 votes). Incumbent Chris Thomerson was unseated, 330 votes behind Randy.
Having served for 9 years on OPALCO Board, Chris played a strong role in leading OPALCO into the era of broadband prominence. His departure from the board will be a loss to OPALCO in terms of his intellectual contribution.
However, the election indicates that there are other attributes that members-owners value as equally important if not more. While financial expertise may not be Winnie’s strongest point, we admire her courage to attend the Candidates Forums, listen to members’ grievances, and answer questions about rates and OPALCO’s involvement in broadband. Her willingness to not only listen, but also hear us, and her ability to be responsive, not defensive — “we will have to re-examine the base rate issues” — mean a lot to many members and was like a breath of fresh air.
Randy has long experience in the electrical distribution management. For many, the votes for Randy underscore support for the electrical business remaining OPALCO’s primary goal. I am happy for the quarter or third of the OPALCO membership who will be able to afford fiber internet. But let’s find the right balance of resource and cost allocation between electricity and fiber optic/communication to ensure that OPALCO’s financial health and ability to deliver affordable electricity are not compromised.
Most members-owners probably wish to be treated not as disturbance or annoyance to be managed, educated or controlled, but as dialogue partners and co-decision makers. A basic foundation of a co-op is mutual respect and willingness to listen to and understand each other. With a change in the leadership, I hope the board will make OPALCO a true co-op, in name and in spirit.
I agree with you that all who serve on the OPALCO board are capable, competent people. Deciding who to vote for this round was tough as there were essential three very capable incumbents. However I take issue with your interpretation of the vote. You seem to imply that a vote for Randy was a vote against broadband. That is pure, and I believe, erroneous speculation on your part. There are multiple reasons people voted for various candidates. You also say that the increased turn out shows members are “paying greater attention.” Implying that members have been duped by and “controlled” by the board. Many of my friends and neighbors got involved this year by attending monthly meetings, the annual meeting, and voting because they wanted to show support for OPALCO and frankly are fed up with the constant haranging that the coop has received over the last couple years.
Thank you Sheila. I voted for Randy, not to take a stand against broadband involvement – because I support it. I voted for him because of his knowledge, competence and leadership. Those are the same reasons I voted for Chris.
I value Chom for the same reasons. But I based my vote on local needs, not on a bias. I hope that the new Board does not take Chom’s “conclusions” as truth, but as opinion. Many of us cast our votes this year specifically because we wanted to show our support for the direction OPALCO is taking with trying to provide us with the service needs of the future.
Both Winnie and Randy have listened to the points and arguments I’ve been making over the past few years. While they may not have agreed with them, I always have felt I was being heard, and that my points were being incorporated into their decision making process. That is all one can ask of a good representative.
Having served on many community boards and committees, I have observed that the lack of regular communication between members and representatives is the most damaging weakness in any organization. That communication is a two-way street. Individual Board members need to reach out to constituents, and members need to do likewise, in reverse. Too, periodic attendance at meetings by concerned members is critical to understanding the issues at hand. Members need to “do the homework” in order to participate.
Though I was disappointed to have not been elected, I may well do that homework in order to ask Winnie, Randy and the other board members probing questions about the issues and their decisions. You all should do likewise.