Elections Scheduled for WVEC Director Positions
Elections Scheduled for
WVEC Director Positions
Three directors will be elected at the Whetstone Valley Electric Cooperative’s (WVEC) 82nd annual membership meeting on Thursday, March 21. The meeting will take place at the Wilmot High School.
Three members will be selected to serve three-year terms on the WVEC board of directors. Districts with open seats are:
District 3: Alto, Spring Grove, Ortley, Summit, Springdale and Garfield Townships
District 4: Geneseo and Lockwood Townships
District 6: Melrose and Big Stone Townships
Without a candidate for District 3, it will become vacant as of the date of the next annual meeting because of term limitations of no more than five consecutive terms, or a total of 15 consecutive years.
Director nominations are by petition only. Petition forms are available at the WVEC headquarters at 1101 East Fourth Avenue in Milbank. A candidate 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 Whetstone office not less than 40 days prior to the annual meeting, or Monday, February 12, at 12 p.m.
The process for becoming a WVEC director is contained in Article IV of the Cooperative bylaws. Each candidate for a director position should carefully read the bylaws and understand the procedures. The bylaws can be accessed online at whetstone.coop or by contacting the WVEC 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 and 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.
WVEC personnel note that, in addition to the rewards of being a director, there are some important responsibilities. A director must be prepared to abide by and uphold the bylaws 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.
Anyone with interest in being a director is encouraged to contact a board member of the WVEC general manager at 605-432-5331.
