Meet the 2023 DIRECTOR CANDIDATES

The candidates were asked to answer the question, Why are you interested in running for the CCEC board of directors? Incumbents are indicated with (I) behind their name.

I am running for the board of directors because I am interested in CCEC’s diversified members, from small farms and towns to metropolitan hospitals and industries. These members count on a dependable power source at a fair price. I admire CCEC for its work to provide reliable and affordable power to rural North Dakota.

I believe that my experience in agricultural engineering and business management qualifies me to assist the cooperative in making sound decisions. I look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve on the board and contribute to CCEC’s growth and success.

I am interested in the CCEC Board of Directors because having safe, reliable, and cost-effective energy is essential for the success of North Dakota. CCEC is an effectively run not-for-profit cooperative meeting this challenge; however, there is much work to be done in the pursuit of energy policy.

Additionally, the energy industry provides critical employment opportunities for our citizens. My two oldest children work in the energy industry; my oldest works in western North Dakota for a coal company, and my daughter graduates this spring as a civil engineer and starts a job in transmission and distribution.

Growing up in the area, I understand its people, history, and climate. After being a CCEC member for 35 years, I want to give back to the organization.

As a business owner and professional, I have worked with many entities over the years and feel I have much experience to share. Being on other boards as well, I understand the fiduciary responsibilities a board member has to the members. With a lifetime of dealing with opportunities/ problems/decisions, a person develops an aptitude for analyzing, prioritizing options, anticipating issues, and implementing an effective plan.

As a member of Cass County Electric for over 10 years, I have appreciated the approach that leadership takes to achieve safe,reliable, and affordable electricity.

As we move forward, we must recognize our impacts on the environment, but the costs cannot outweigh the benefits. If you do not have reliable energy, people suffer. We must recognize that many CCEC members live on fixed incomes and need consistency when it comes to their electric bill.

CCEC has a great history of responsible investing in all-of-the-above energy, and I wish to make sure those investments do not hit our fellow members in their pocketbook.

Members of the Cass County Electric Cooperative Board of Directors are elected to three-year terms every spring. Directors must be members of the cooperative and be a bona fide resident of the director district in which they are seeking directorship. That means you, as a member, can have a say in Cass County Electric operations by voting for your directors. Democratic member control is one of the principles that sets cooperatives apart from other types of businesses and utilities.

View the back page of the magazine for annual meeting and voting information.

My experiences as a North Dakota state senator, city alderman, SRT director, and technology professor have helped me be an appropriate leader during my six years on the CCEC board.

Last year, I earned the NRECA Gold Credential designation and have shown leadership and electrical industry knowledge at CCEC board meetings. This past November the CCEC board elected me to the NDAREC board. The cooperative’s outstanding leadership staff and employees have been the key to its success. I serve to promote our mission statement to serve our members’ energy needs with affordable, safe, and reliable electricity. View my qualifications at tomseymour66.com.

My interest in running for the Cass County Electric Cooperative Board of Directors comes from my passion to serve our community and belief that we should give back by sharing our gifts.

The electric industry has many challenges ahead as more electrified loads are added to our grid. I would like to use my operational knowledge, leadership skills and trust in Cass County Electric Cooperative to be of service as we make decisions to ensure Cass County Electric Cooperative continues to provide safe, reliable, affordable, and sustainable electric service for our current and future members.

I have been a co-op member since 1984, and had the privilege of serving CCEC as a Director since October 2020. During my tenure I completed the Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) certificate, currently serve on the Square Butte board and attended numerous seminars focused on power distribution and energy production to better service our region and co-op.

As a business leader, I worked at Case New Holland (CNH) and Swanson Health Products in Engineering and Operations Management capacities. I attended NDSU and MSUM for engineering and business management. I would appreciate your support in the April election.

I’ve decided to run for the board of director’s AL position due to my desire to be a good steward to others and to ensure that the company has adequate resources to accomplish its mission and to advocate for other sources of renewable energies that will be sustainable and affordable to customers, and profitable to investors and the company itself, now and in the future. Also to ensure the risk management, finances and organizational culture are efficient and effective for growth and retaining highly skilled employees that contribute to the core and values of the company.

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1

Cass County Electric tracks how much electricity you buy and how much money you pay for it throughout the year.

2

We pay the bills for things like power generation, maintenance, and new construction.

3

Then, at the end of the fiscal year, the board of directors determines if there are excess revenues, called margins.

MY CAPITAL CREDITS? OR

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Next, the cooperative allocates those margins to members as capital credits based upon their electric bill.

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Lastly, your board of directors decides to retire, or pay, the capital credits when our financial condition permits.

$4. 5 million

The Cass County Electric board of directors has approved the retirement of capital credits for the years 2001 and 2002 as well as estate and early retirement payments.

These credits’ taxability depends on whether your electric bills served as a business tax deduction on your income tax return for the years in which the capital credits were allocated. For most individuals, the receipt of capital credits is non-taxable. Please contact your tax preparer if this tax deduction pertains to you, as this information is provided as a courtesy and is not intended to be construed as legal or tax advice.

Your board of directors just approved a record $4.5 million in capital credit retirements!