SDCEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION RESULTS

Jeff Fiedler and Mark Boyle will serve three-year terms as SDCEA board seat representatives for At Large and Rural Lake/Chaffee County, respectively. Blake Bennetts, the incumbent town of Buena Vista representative, was unopposed for re-election. The new and incumbent directors were seated at the June 28 board meeting.

MAILING ADDRESS

P.O. Box 2013

Buena Vista, CO 81211-2013

STREET ADDRESS

29780 North U.S. Highway 24

Buena Vista, CO 81211 ph 719-395-2412 tf 844-395-2412 email info@myelectric.coop web www.myelectric.coop

Facebook.com/SDCEA.Inc

Twitter: @SDCEA_Inc

Instagram: @sdceaenergy

Fiedler defeated incumbent Michael Robinson to represent At Large members, 1,664 to 977, votes. Boyle defeated incumbent Joe Redetzke to represent cooperative Rural Chaffee/ Lake County members, 1,761 to 890 votes. As he was unopposed, Bennetts did not appear on the ballot.

All 11,926 SDCEA members as of April 7 were eligible to vote in the election, which was held by mail-in or online balloting. In this year’s election, 22.53% of eligible voters cast ballots — 2,687 valid ballots were returned, 1,285 voters elected to vote online, 1,454 elected to mail their ballot.

Self-reported campaign expenditure disclosure forms are available on the website homepage under the Board Info tab.

SDCEA is an electric cooperative, a form of business owned and controlled by the people who use it –members, who are consumer account holders. As it is not possible for members to directly make all cooperative decisions, SDCEA is governed by a board of directors, elected by the membership. Acting as a group, directors employ the cooperative’s Chief Executive Officer, establish operating policy, and direct the cooperative’s overall business operating goals.

Seven board members govern SDCEA’s business operations and represent geographic areas in SDCEA’s service territory. Board member terms of three years are staggered to ensure continuity of governance. All cooperative members are eligible to vote in elections, regardless of the district in which they live.

SDCEA and our power supplier, Tri-State G&T have teamed up to bring you rebates for installing Energy Star-rated appliances, water heaters, heat pumps, outdoor power equipment and more. Go to our website, myelectric.coop, click on Save Energy & Money and head to the Rebates tab.

Do you have an outage to report? Don’t hesitate to call 719-395-2412 or toll-free 844-395-2412.

DO NOT email your outage information or post your outage information on social media. SDCEA cannot monitor that information effectively, especially after hours. The only way to be sure we know you have an outage is to phone it in.

As a locally controlled not-forprofit, SDCEA reinvests back into our communities

In April, SDCEA hosted more than 30 electric cooperative member service representatives from around Colorado for the Colorado Rural Electric Member Services group spring meeting.

The event featured presentations about member service improvement, industry trends, and new energy options. Attendees also toured Buena Vista housing manufacturer Fading West’s facility.

At the meeting, awards were presented for excellence in cooperative communications. SDCEA earned first place in the Industry Story category for its article, “Why is my Electric Bill Higher in the Fall and Winter Seasons?” which appeared in the December 2022 Colorado Country Life magazine.

SDCEA’s Chris McGinnis is the group’s president; Alex Shelley of San Miguel Power serves as vice-president; and Kristina Johnson from Holy Cross Energy is the group’s secretary/treasurer.

As sunny days abound, it is easy to be footloose and fancy free. As you spend more time outdoors, keep these safety tips in mind to have a great summer.

According to the National Lightning Safety Council, approximately 440 people are struck and killed by lightning each year.*

Nearly two-thirds of the deaths occurred while people were enjoying outdoor leisure activities. Fatalities occurred during water-related activities such as boating, spending time on the beach and swimming, and a handful of deaths happened during sporting activities such as fishing, soccer and running.

When angry clouds roll in, take them seriously. Have a weather app installed on your smartphone to inform you of weather alerts. Lightning can occur up to 10 miles away from the heart of the storm, so if you hear thunder, take cover. A watch means that conditions are likely for severe weather to develop; a warning means take action.

For additional electrical safety tips, visit SafeElectricity.org or myelectric.coop.

*Analysis of lightning-related deaths in the U.S., 2006–2021

Sangre de Cristo Electric Association proudly supports our communities by awarding scholarships to local students. This spring, the organization awarded sixteen scholarships to graduating seniors in the region for the 2023-24 school year, including one four-year scholarship for $2,000 a year, 13 one-time $2,000 scholarships including one employee-dependent award, and two $1,000 scholarships.

“We serve our members through programs like our scholarship program. Being a locally controlled not-for-profit allows us to reinvest back into our communities. Supporting the next generation of leaders is one way we do this,” said SDCEA Interim Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly.

The scholarship committee, consisting of SDCEA directors and staff, evaluates applications and awards scholarships in February each year. Each committee member independently reviews application information which has been redacted for personal-identifying information before it is then discussed and decided as a team. The chosen applicants are judged based on criteria set by the scholarship committee.

These scholarships can be used by any full-time student attending an accredited two or four-year college, university or vocational/ technical school who is either an SDCEA member or dependent of a member. Students who have applied for or received scholarships in previous years are also eligible to apply if they meet eligibility criteria. Applications for these scholarships can be found on the SDCEA website each fall season.