Poudre Valley REA critics down but not defeated

By Dan MacArthur
North Forty News

Dissidents are undecided about trying again after three years of falling just short of winning seats on the Poudre Valley REA board of directors.

But while failing in that goal, they succeeded in stimulating a record turnout with a nearly four-fold increase over the number of votes cast last year.

Members returned all four incumbents to the electric cooperative's board of directors in the March 15 election. Three of those incumbents faced a challenge from alternative energy advocates allied as the PV Pioneers. Two of the challengers also ran for board seats last year and lost by narrow margins.

The closest margin in this year's election was tallied for the Larimer County, District 4, Position H seat. In a three-way race, farmer and rancher Dean Anderson of Berthoud defeated Roger Alexander of Fort Collins and Bob Berling of Windsor.

Anderson led Alexander by 44 votes (1,716 to 1,672), while Berling brought in 604 votes. Alexander is a sales engineer for a solar energy company and Berling is a consulting engineer who retired from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Anderson has served on the PVREA board for 24 years.

Running for Boulder County, District 2, Position C, retired mechanical contractor Robert Lock of Longmont retained his board seat with 225 votes more than Steve Szabo of Longmont (2,073 to 1,848). Szabo is an organic grower who retired from the telecommunications industry. Lock has been a board member for three years.

Seeking the at-large District 1, Position B seat, farmer Jim Park of Kersey defeated energy policy analyst Tim Hurst of Fort Collins by 268 votes (2,122 to 1,854). Park has been a board member for 18 years.

A board member for six years, Jack Schneider ran unopposed for Weld County, District 3, Position F. He received 3,100 votes.

Szabo later said it was uncertain whether the PV Pioneers would run again or pursue other ways of moving the co-op toward greater use of renewable energy.

"It's kind of difficult to beat the incumbent with the way Poudre Valley REA does its election," he said.

Szabo said that the incumbents were openly identified on the election ballot, fliers were distributed suggesting the REA endorsed them, and the co-op at the last minute changed bylaws specifying that ballots be mailed 10 days before the election instead of 30.

In his message to members, PVREA president Rick Johnson highlighted the co-op's green efforts including its support of legislation requiring REAs to obtain 10 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020.

"We truly believe the development of additional renewable resources into the generation mix is the right thing to do," he stated. "We believe the best answer to our shortage of generation resources and climate change is taking advantage of all our energy sources including renewable resources, nuclear, natural gas and, yes, clean coal."

"There is no quick fix," Johnson continued. "We have to work with policy makers to determine how to 'get it right' and 'strike the right balance' in addressing climate change while keeping electric rates affordable."

"They haven't done anything," Szabo countered.

He characterized such claims as "greenwashing," noting that the REA is opposing additional legislation mandating expansion of energy efficiency programs.

"They don't want to be controlled in any way," said Szabo. "They're not visionary, they're not progressive at all."

Last year members cast 1,100 votes with 624 of those by mail and 536 at the annual meeting. This year 4,104 votes were cast with 3,864 by mail and 240 at the meeting. The increase is attributed to a decision by the co-op to mail postage-paid ballots to all members.

Poudre Valley REA serves 35,618 consumers. Just over 1,000 meals were served to the 485 registered members and their guests attending the annual meeting.