Vote in OPALCO’s election

Voters eligible to win prizes

||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE |||

OPALCO Board Candidate election season is in full swing! OPALCO members should have received a ballot. Get to know the candidates this year and vote in the election to help guide the energy future of San Juan County. There are 9 candidates for 2 open positions in District 1 (San Juan, et al) and District 2 (Orcas, et al).

Here are the 2026 Board Candidates:

District 1 (one open position):

• Laura Derevensky
• Drew Gislason
• Richard Goodhart
• Adrian Kilpatrick

District 2 (one open position):

• Chuks Onwuneme (Incumbent)
• Conor Anderson
• Rick Fant
•  Michael Readey
• Laura Stern

You can find candidate bios, recordings from the candidate forums, and candidates answers to
some of the key issues affecting our energy future on our website:
https://www.opalco.com/about-community/elections-hub/
Everyone votes for every open position, regardless of home island.

Democratic member control is one of the key parts of being a cooperative. The OPALCO Board
guides the direction of the cooperative and is elected by YOU! Each year OPALCO must get at
least 10% of the membership to vote in order for the election to count.
Plus – members who vote will be automatically entered to win some great raffle prizes,
including electric appliances and tools!

Don’t forget to save the date for the OPALCO Annual Member Festival, which is Friday, May 8 th
on Lopez Island at the Lopez Center for Community and Arts. The event starts at 3 pm with lots
of useful giveaways, information booths, kids’ activities, free food and more! Come by and
celebrate being a co-op member!

Co-ops Vote!

Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) is our member-owned cooperative electric utility, serving
more than 11,400 members on 20 islands in San Juan County. OPALCO provides electricity that is 97%
greenhouse-gas free and is generated predominantly by hydroelectric plants. OPALCO was founded in
1937.