MEA Announces Board Candidates and Proposed Bylaw Changes

On February 8 Matanuska Electric Association announced the names of nine candidates who are running for two At-Large seats on its Board of Directors this spring. It also announced four proposed changes to its Bylaws. Members interested in making statements for or against the proposed bylaws changes have until February 24 to submit them.

Because the seats being elected are for At-Large Directors, all MEA members will be eligible to vote in the election (MEA’s Board consists of four seats representing specific districts and three At-Large seats representing the entire membership). The nine candidates are (in alphabetical order): Anastasia Buretta, Bryan Cherry, Jedediah Cox, Joy Fearn-Condon, Constance Fredenberg, Gregory Hunt Sr., David Krumm, Ted Leonard, and Dan Tucker (incumbent). Ballots will be circulated at the end of March—voting will run through MEA’s Annual Meeting, which will be held on April 25.

The top vote-getter in the election will serve a four-year term, while the second-place finisher will serve a three-year term. This is part of an effort to stagger the election of board seats following a change in term-length instituted several years ago.

AETP will be sending informational questionnaires to all MEA Board candidates and will post their responses as they are received in March.

MEA voters will also be asked to approve four changes to the cooperative’s Bylaws. The first proposed change would give MEA’s Board the ability to retire capital credits owed to former members (or their estates) to satisfy any debts they owed the cooperative when they left or passed away. The second provides a clearer definition of “patron” in the Bylaws.

The third proposed change is to the definition of a member in “good standing.” Currently to be in good standing, a member must have made all paid all MEA bills on time over the previous three years. The new definition will allow members to be considered in good standing so long as they have not been late with more than one payment over the previous two years. This change primarily effects who is eligible to run for or serve on the MEA Board (which requires a member be in good standing). The fourth proposed change adds tribal governments to the list of recognized organizations within its service area.

Members who are interested in writing a statement supporting or opposing any of the proposed bylaw changes are asked to submit them to the Election Committee by 5 p.m. on February 24.