On April 15, OPALCO’s wholly owned subsidiary, Rock Island Communications, sent an email to its customer list referencing a specific slate of candidates for OPALCO’s upcoming board election.

On April 18, Gerry Lawlor, EVP of Rock Island issued a retraction of that email stating, “The opinions stated in that email are my own and were made without the knowledge of the OPALCO board, management team or Glenna Hall. I made an error in judgement.”

Foster Hildreth, General Manager for both OPALCO and Rock Island said, “OPALCO leadership takes a neutral position in the Co-op election. It’s up to the membership to decide who best represents their interests. We regret this misstep – it’s unacceptable.”

OPALCO Board members responded quickly with a call to create a clear policy on election neutrality, imposing sharp restrictions on campaigning. Discussion will begin at the April 21 board meeting on Lopez; the meeting begins at 8:15 am at the Fire Hall. OPALCO board meetings are open to co-op members. Board materials and meeting details are posted online at www.opalco.com.

There will be candidate forums on the following dates: April 19, Shaw Community Center; April 20, San Juan Island Grange; April 21, Woodmen Hall, Lopez; April 22, Eastsound Fire Hall. Forums begin at 5 p.m. followed by an informal Q&A with staff at 6 p.m.