Pedernales Electric Cooperative has announced the names of the PEC members who will serve on the Co-op’s new qualifications review committee.
The committee will review the eligibility of fellow PEC members who are petitioning for spots on the ballot for this year’s PEC Board election. Appointed Feb. 18 by the Cooperative’s Board of Directors to serve on the committee are:
· Jim Camp of Manchaca
· Mark Ekrut of Jonestown
· Christina Lewis of Austin
·Vicki McCuistion of Wimberley
·G.R. Mortenson of Spicewood
·Mary Ann Raesener of Marble Falls
·Pete Slover of Dripping Springs
The Co-op’s Board recently amended PEC’s Bylaws to create the committee as a mechanism for PEC member engagement. The new committee continues the Co-op’s commitment to a fair and open democratic process for electing directors. The independent, member-led committee will determine whether potential candidates satisfy the established requirements to serve on the PEC Board, rather than having PEC management and Board members verify nominees’ qualifications.
“This is an excellent group and cross section of members to serve on this committee,” assured Board President Dr. Patrick Cox.
Each committee member represents a different PEC Board district. The committee will be dissolved after the 2014 election, and a new committee of three to seven PEC members will be appointed in each future year before the Co-op’s elections.
Co-op members seek nomination for Board director positions through a petition process. Directors are democratically elected by the PEC membership. Positions up for election this year are in PEC board districts 2 and 3, both of which include portions of Travis and Williamson counties.
Qualified district 2 and district 3 PEC members interested in seeking nomination for a PEC director position can get additional information and the required forms at www.pec.coop/nomination.
After nominees’ qualifications and petition signatures are verified, the Board plans to consider at its April 21 meeting the inclusion of director candidates on the 2014 ballot, which also will provide members the option to vote on their preference of a voting system for future director elections. The vote will be between the Co-op's current at-large method of voting and a single-member district voting method. More information about this referendum is available at www.pec.coop/election.
Ballots will be mailed to members by May 27, after which members will be able to vote by mail or online through June 13, or they can wait to vote in person at the Cooperative’s June 21 annual meeting in Cedar Park. Election results will be announced before the conclusion of the meeting.
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