Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) is a local electric cooperative that is owned and operated by its\u00a0members. On Saturday, May 1st, the member-owners will exercise their right to elect their Board of\u00a0Directors. Who is a member of the Co-op? Anyone who receives an OPALCO power bill has a membership\u00a0(there may be multiple names on a membership, but each membership equals one member). In this year\u2019s\u00a0election, District 3 (Lopez, Decatur, Center and Charles Islands) and District 4 (Shaw, Bell, Canoe and Crane\u00a0Islands) are up for election. District 3 candidates running are incumbents Jim Lett and Bob Myhr. District 4\u00a0candidates are nominee John Ashenhurst and incumbent John Bogert. Candidate bios are available at\u00a0www.opalco.com. [and attached in case you can run them]<\/p>\n
OPALCO\u2019s governing board consists of seven directors who are elected for three-year terms, with the\u00a0elections staggered by district. Each director is elected by a vote of OPALCO members and ALL members\u00a0may vote in every election, regardless of their home district. Each member household gets one ballot\u00a0regardless of how many meters or accounts they may have.<\/p>\n
Why does OPALCO have an annual meeting? The annual meeting is required by OPALCO\u2019s bylaws and by\u00a0the federal government. It is a key component of our status as a 501 (c) 12 cooperative, which saves our\u00a0member-owners from the rate burden of paying taxes, gives OPALCO a preferential position with federal\u00a0lenders and allows OPALCO to set rates on a cost-of-service basis. In exchange, members have the\u00a0responsibility to show up and vote; a quorum of at least 100 members is required at the annual meeting for\u00a0the election to be held.<\/p>\n
Ballot packages with absentee ballots will be arriving in mailboxes this week and the 2010 annual report is\u00a0available online at www.opalco.com (or pick up a copy at OPALCO offices, county libraries or senior\u00a0centers). Absentee ballots must be received at the Eastsound OPALCO office no later than Friday, April 30th\u00a0at noon. Ballots can also be cast at the annual meeting on the ferry, Saturday, May 1st\u00a0where the election\u00a0results will be announced. Due to the spring ferry schedule, the meeting is early this year. Members from San Juan Island will need to\u00a0arrive at the Spring Street Landing at 6:45 a.m. to register for the meeting and board a charter vessel (Call\u00a0376-3549 to reserve a spot); Orcas members should arrive at the ferry landing to register at 8:00 a.m.; Lopez\u00a0members register at the ferry landing at 8:40 a.m.; and Shaw members board the ferry at 9:10 a.m. For the\u00a0full travel schedule, please go to www.opalco.com.\u00a0Members and their families who attend the annual meeting will be treated to a healthy and delicious breakfast\u00a0catered by Avenue Catering. The menu includes hot breakfast entrees, baked goods, fresh fruit, yogurt, coffee\u00a0and juice. Every member who attends will receive a $5 credit on their next bill (one credit per membership)\u2014and there are free gifts for everyone in attendance. Every member has a chance to win one of more than\u00a0fifty fabulous door prizes such as power and garden tools, gift certificates, kitchen tools and appliances,\u00a0camping and sporting equipment, OPALCO bill credits, art and merchandise from local businesses. If you are\u00a0a local business and would like to contribute a door prize, please contact Bev at 376-3549.\u00a0OPALCO is a member-owned cooperative electrical utility serving more than 14,000 accounts on 20 islands\u00a0in San Juan County. OPALCO provides electricity that is 97% greenhouse-gas free and is predominately\u00a0generated by hydro-electric plants. OPALCO was founded in 1937 to bring electricity to rural islanders and is\u00a0one of 900 electric co-ops in the United States today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"