A total of six candidates will be vying for two positions on the Orcas Power and Light Cooperative board of directors.
The upcoming election promises to highlight contrasting views on what direction the co-op should take in upgrading its electrical distribution system, expanding its network of fiber-optic cable, and, ultimately, how the cost of those investments should be covered.
The candidates seeking election to the two board positions, both representing the district that includes San Juan Island, are incumbents Vince Dauciunas and Glenna Hall, and challengers Bryan Hoyer, Steve Hudson, Douglas Rowan and John Sheehan.
Don Galt, Sr. of San Juan was also in the running until he withdrew his candidacy on April 7.
Dauciunas, noting that prior board elections have typically been decided by less than 10 percent of the co-op’s 12,000 members, said he would like to see a far greater turnout in the upcoming election, which culminates at the co-op’s annual meeting on May 3 (ballots will be in the mail beginning April 11).
All members have the opportunity to vote for the San Juan Island district directors. The two candidates with the most votes will be elected.
More info can be found at http://www.opalco.com/about/annual-meeting-report/.
Although fellow incumbent Glenna Hall is enthusiastic about standing for election after serving as an appointed director for less than a year. Hudson was nominated by a petition of 15 San Juan Island members. Hoyer, Rowan and Sheehan were selected by a nominating committee appointed by the OPALCO board. All seven are profiled at www.opalco.com/about/board-of-directors.
The nominating committee consisted of three San Juan residents: Victoria Compton, Economic Development Council director, Peter Kilpatrick of Ravenhill Construction and civic activist and technology executive Mark Madsen.
Madsen, chairman of the committee, said the panel talked with about 30 potential nominees, all of whom were experienced in community service, business or “running something.” The chosen three are all well-qualified, he said.
Madsen and Kilpatrick agree that most of the potential candidates identified expansion of broadband as the most important issue in this year’s election.
Hudson, raised on San Juan Island, is a former telecommunications manager and executive whose family founded the local telephone company that became CenturyLink. He’s been an outspoken critic of OPALCO’s broadband initiative. He wrote in his candidate’s statement that, “the economic case for OPALCO’s pursuit [of expanded broadband] has not been made clear.”
Rowan is an electrical engineer who was utility industry manager for IBM. He worked with the IBM team that set up and managed the New York Power Pool created after the 1965 east coast power blackout. He says his priorities for OPALCO “would be to continue reliable, low cost power, alternative energy and conservation initiatives and use of technology in all areas.”
Sheehan is a mechanical engineer who worked for General Electric, on coal-fired steam turbine generators and on nuclear power plant operations. He retired as manager of Nuclear Plant Services in San Jose, Calif.
Hoyer was a Silicon Valley engineer, inventor and entrepreneur who designed “everything from high power satellite systems to network encryptors.” In his board candidate’s statement, he wrote that he will focus on guiding the technical and business issues that arise as a result of bringing broadband to the islands.
Two member-initiated bylaw amendments will be voted on along with the board elections. The first, presented to OPALCO by candidate Hudson, would require Energy Member Informational Meetings with the board and management on Orcas, San Juan and Lopez ievery three months, following the annual meeting. The amendment says, “The purpose of said Informational Meeting is to provide the opportunity for dialogue between Energy Members, the Board of Directors and management staff about the Cooperative’s affairs.” The estimated cost of the meetings is $22,960 per year.
The second amendment, presented by San Juan’s Gray Cope, would mandate Internet streaming of board meetings. More info about this proposal is at creativeconnections.com/opalco.html.
Questions to be answered by OPALCO at annual meeting
Three multi-faceted questions have emerged during the past year that will addressed during the campaign and at the annual meeting.
First, what is OPALCO’s intention in the competitive broadband telecommunications market? What is the plan for build-out of fiber optic infrastructure? Will it be paid for from members’ electric bills? Read more at at islandnetwork.opalco.com/about/expansion-plans/.
Second, what are the future needs and sources for electric power services and is the announced 6 percent electric rate increase justified? Conservation and alternative clean power sources have been emphasized by OPALCO in the past and will have to be pursued in the future to avoid future spikes in power costs.
And third, how open and transparent will OPALCO’s governance be in the future? These issues have been raised by OPALCO critics, including candidate Steve Hudson, at the recent town hall meetings held by OPALCO on Orcas, San Juan and Lopez.
