Democrats in seven more states and two territories will vote or caucus in primaries by June 3. On Aug. 19, San Juan County residents will vote for candidates for three County Council positions, for Superior Court judge and for state legislature. On Nov. 4, we’ll make our final choice for those positions and for president.

It’s an important election year. But there’s another election coming up May 17 that commands your attention, for the people elected on the day also influence our daily lives – specifically, how electricity is delivered to our communities and the rates we pay.

We encourage residents to vote for director of the Orcas Power & Light Cooperative, or OPALCO. If you have electrical service registered in your name, you’re eligible to vote. Three candidates for two positions from San Juan Island are on the ballot: Bruce Gregory, Dave Hylton and George Mulligan. Hylton is running for reelection. Nourdine Jensen is retiring after 37 years on the board.

Ballots were mailed out last month; you can vote at the OPALCO annual meeting on the Anacortes-San Juan ferry or you can mail your ballot in.

Co-op member participation is key: OPALCO must have a quorum of at least 100 members on the ferry to meet the requirements for its annual meeting. To get on the boat from Orcas, members should be at the Orcas Landing by 9:30 a.m. to register for the meeting and board the 10:20 a.m. sailing. Shaw members board at 10:35, and Lopez members should arrive at the Lopez landing by 10:15 a.m. to register and board the 11 a.m. sailing. For a complete travel schedule, go to www.opalco.com. (You can read about the candidates by going to www.islandssounder.com).

How much influence does an OPALCO board member have?

Jensen was a longtime advocate of bringing fiberoptic cable to the islands.

The late Leon Fonnesbeck used his legal acumen to protect OPALCO ratepayers from the debt that would have been incurred by the Washington Public Power System’s plan in the 1980s to build nuclear power plants. Because of the work of utility directors like Fonnesbeck, the plan never materialized.

Board member Roger Crosby of Orcas Island worked to convince Bonneville Power Administration, our principal supplier of electric power, to replace a failed submarine cable in 2000.

Board member Ed Marble of Lopez Island has worked with Bonneville Power Administration to install backup underwater cables to the principal islands, and on keeping the lid on wholesale power costs.

Board member Bob Myhr of Lopez Island has been an advocate for conservation programs to encourage wiser use of electrical energy and to lower peak demand use. He’s also been an advocate for placing power lines underground, where economically feasible, to maintain system reliability and the natural beauty of the islands.

Board member Chris Thomerson of Orcas Island is Vice President of the Washington Rural Electric Cooperative Association and works with the OPALCO Ambassadors Program to protect ratepayers from legislation that could be harmful to the cost of local service. As part of National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, he’s just returned from a week in Washington D.C. where he met with federal legislators about the power generation situation. Thomerson persuaded them to consider our special circumstances in Washington State and to continue to support efforts to provide local electricity.

OPALCO serves more than 10,000 residents on 20 islands in San Juan County — a constituency that is almost as large as county government’s. OPALCO provides mostly renewable electricity that is 97 percent greenhouse-gas free, predominately generated by hydroelectric plants. It is one of 900 electric cooperatives in the United States today.

At the annual meeting this Saturday, General Manager Randy Cornelius will hand out 300 free compact fluorescent light bulbs with OPALCO gift bags. The Galley Restaurant on Lopez will provide a local lunch. OPALCO’s Energy Services crew will be giving away the energy efficient dynamic duo of low-flow showerheads and compact fluorescent light bulbs. There will be plenty of handy information available on efficient hot water heaters and other energy efficient practices that will help your energy dollars go further. Plus, every member who attends the meeting will receive a $5 credit on their OPALCO bill.

Fewer issues affect our pocketbooks and our quality of life more immediately than utilities. You owe it to yourself and your community to get to know the candidates and vote in the May 17 OPALCO election, either by mailing in ballots or by attending the Saturday morning ferry meeting.

By Richard Walker, Editor, San Juan Journal