Patrons May Petition for WVEC Board of Directors
Patrons May Petition for WVEC Board of Directors
Patrons for the Whetstone Valley Electric Cooperative (WVEC) may take out nominating petitions and file for the upcoming election in which three board positions have open seats to serve on the board of directors. All three positions are for three-year terms. The election will be conducted during the 84th annual membership meeting on Thursday, March 26, at 6:30 p.m. at Wilmot School.
The districts with open seats that are up for election are District One, which includes Drywood, Goodwill, Easter, Agency, and Lawrence townships; District Two, Becker, Lee, and Lake townships, and District Five, Twin Brooks, Kilborn, Osceola, Mazeppa, and Leola townships.
The seats that are open for this election are currently filled by Dave Berns, District One, and Matt Cameron, District Two, who are eligible to run for reelection.
William Tostenson, District Five, is not eligible to run for re-election because he has served the maximum number of years. He has been on the board 17 years.
Director nominations are by petition only. Petition forms are available at 1101 East 4th Ave in Milbank.
Candidates must be a bona fide resident of the district and return a petition with at least six signatures from current members of the same district to the WVEC office not less than 40 days prior to the annual meeting.
Because of publication deadlines, to have a candidate profile published in the March issue of Cooperative’s Connections, petitions should be submitted before February 16.
The process for becoming a director for WVEC is contained in the cooperative by-laws Article IV. Each candidate for a director position should carefully read the by-laws and understand the procedures. The by-laws can be found on the website www.whetstone.coop or by contacting the office.
The WVEC board serves on behalf of the membership to provide oversight and strategic governance, while day to day operations are led by the cooperative general manager. The board is responsible for sending representatives to the associations of which the cooperative is a member.
Directors are expected to attend education seminars and may be asked to serve on other associated cooperative boards. Directors may be asked to lobby to remain informed on pertinent legislative issues. Reading and studying is necessary to keep informed of current issues and how they may affect the co-op. It is the responsibility of the board to evaluate and develop long-term strategic plans to assure the financial and operational stability of the cooperative. Directors should expect to commit about 30 days per year for cooperative related activities.
In addition to the rewards of being a director, there are some important responsiblities. A director must be prepared to abide by and uphold the by-laws of the cooperative, be open to new ideas and have a desire to learn, be able to understand and engage members as their expectations change, and be adept at analyzing complex options to make sound decisions.
Those interested in learning more about what it means to be a director should contact a board member or Dave Page, general manager at WVEC.
