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LPEA mails 32,000 ballots

4 winners will be announced on May 16

La Plata Electric Association mailed about 32,000 ballots Friday for the May election to fill four seats on its 12-member board of directors.

One seat in each of four districts is filled annually.

The election is one to watch because the outcome could strengthen or wipe out the 7-5 edge in board seats held by alternative-energy proponents – a position they’ve solidified in recent years.

The “greens,” as they’re often called, started to come on in 2012 when Heather Erb and Britt Bassett won seats. Then in 2013, Michael Rendon, Mark Garcia and Jack Turner were elected. In 2014, Jack Lynch joined the board.

Before that, Jeff Berman, a green first elected in 2005, was the 1 on 11-1 votes.

This year, Erb and Bassett must stand for election, and the retirement of Jerry McCaw opened the way for first-timers, one of whom is green-tinged Gregg Dubit.

Dubit and Bassett were late additions to the ballot, added only last week, because of challenges to their eligibility. An LPEA election supervisory committee found that their employment in the solar industry doesn’t violate LPEA bylaws.

So as the election goes, so goes board votes most likely.

The names of election winners will be announced May 16 at the LPEA annual meeting.

LPEA officials are expecting the traditional 20 to 25 percent turnout of voters.

Executive Director Mike Dreyspring is accustomed to low voter turnout. At the Dallas-area cooperative where he worked before coming to Durango, voter participation was 2½ percent out of 180,000 members, Dreyspring said.

“Two things: In Dallas, people are busy, and they don’t see themselves as owners of the cooperative as LPEA members do,” he said.

Investor-owned and municipal utility organizations attract more attention, he said.

LPEA elections are costly, said spokeswoman Indiana Reed. The postage alone for mailing ballots this year was $12,918.51, Reed said. The cooperative saves $10,000 overall when a district election is not contested. If an incumbent runs unchallenged, ballots aren’t sent to residents of the particular district.

daler@durangoherald.com



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