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LPEA board candidates talk issues

Ballots going out next month

Renewable energy and responsibility to community – all couched in reasonable dialog – dominated a La Plata Electric Association board candidate forum Tuesday.

Ballots will be mailed May 1.

About 50 people attended the forum sponsored by the Durango Chamber of Commerce at the DoubleTree Hotel to hear five candidates – one running unopposed – field questions prepared by the chamber.

Jeff Berman, the incumbent, and challenger Bill Waters will square off in District 3 (the city of Durango). Joe Wheeling, the seat holder, is being challenged by Alison Dance in District 4 (north and east La Plata County). Davin Montoya has no opposition in District 2 (west and south La Plata County).

District 1 (Archuleta County) candidates – incumbent Ken Fox and Bob Lynch, who wants the seat – didn’t attend.

Fifteen questions prepared by the chamber were reduced to about a dozen. They were read by Chuck Slothower, a reporter with The Durango Herald, Bryant Liggett, general manager at radio station KDUR, and Eric Nyquist, head of Four Corners Broadcasting.

In answer to whether subsidies should be given to offset the cost of developing alternative-energy sources:

Montoya said it’s not a sustainable policy in the long run.

Waters thinks all aspects of development should move apace – if a subsidy is required, can the endeavor be successful? he asked rhetorically.

Berman wants emphasis on solar, not at low level but on utility scale because, if done right, it’s cheaper technology.

Dance said solar is cheaper than coal – coal is dying, while solar is stepping up.

Wheeling said wind and solar are becoming cost-effective, but since they’re not there yet, he can support subsidies.

No mention was made of a constraint imposed on generating power from an alternative source such as hydro, wind and solar by Tri-State Generation and Transmission, the LPEA wholesale supplier.

Under agreement with Tri-State, the 44 cooperative members may not produce more than 5 percent of power from local alternative sources.

That rankles LPEA because the cooperative is nearing its limit, not counting the power that could become available from newly approved policy on solar gardens.

Solar gardens are joint efforts to develop power when individuals don’t have the finances or location for a solar system.

All candidates said they would support a board decision even if they had voted against it.

Dance: “Of course, that’s part of being on a committee.”

Waters quoted his father: “There’s no ‘I‘ in team. All interests must be heard.”

Berman agreed, but said “minority voices must be heard, not overridden.”

Wheeling: “We need healthy debate, but when all is said and done, we make one decision and then move forward.”

Montoya’s position is that once a decision is reached, all members should support it.

A successor for CEO Greg Munro, who is retiring, will have his or her work cut out, judging from the qualities sought by the candidates.

They’d like a CEO who is a visionary, a people person, experienced, innovative, diplomatic, a conciliator and possessor of a sound business head. The new CEO would be a good communicator and be able to handle stress.

The new CEO also must be the main coach and be a quick study in order to deal with issues involving the cooperative’s issues with Tri-State, which include a rate structure and the 5 percent limit on renewable energy.

daler@durangoherald.com



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