LORAIN-MEDINA RURAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE LOCAL PAGES Lorem ipsum
KEY CO-OP TOPICS WITH ED
TRANSPARENCY AND BOARD MEETING UPDATES
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t’s no surprise that a common theme of my monthly column revolves around the Seven Cooperative Principles that Lorain-Medina Rural Electric uses as a basis for our business model. Throughout my years working for cooperatives, I have come to believe these principles truly work for the betterment of the communities we serve. In short, adhering to these principles allows us to demonstrate what makes a co-op different.
understand the discussions and work that goes on behind the scenes at your cooperative. Our hope is that this additional insight into the board meetings will help shed more light on when the board discusses these changes and how the cooperative functions throughout the year.
Underneath those principles and what continues to help them stand the test of time, is the trust you place in your elected board of trustees and the management staff here at LMRE. After all, it is their job to make the best decisions possible on behalf of the co-op. Our goal is to never lose that trust from our membership. To keep that bond strong, we continue to find new ways to grow, particularly in communicating the cooperative difference to you.
We ask that you keep in mind Ed VanHoose that each monthly meeting GENERAL MANAGER lasts several hours, and we are limited on space within these pages, both physically and budgetarily, to include every detail. What we are providing here are indeed the highlights of much longer conversations. If you wish to see a meeting’s full minutes, a request can be made at the cooperative to review these materials in person. Another thing you will notice is that the minutes are two months behind. Production of this magazine works two months in advance (it’s currently mid-March as I write this), and so the meeting minutes will reflect that time difference.
Your board of trustees recently agreed that sharing highlights from the monthly board meetings would expand our transparency and increase understanding of co-op operations with you, the membership. That’s why, beginning this month, you will see a section in each Ohio Cooperative Living magazine dedicated to highlighting what is discussed at the previous board meeting. We understand it’s sometimes frustrating when changes occur, especially with something as vital as our electric supply. Therefore, we want you, as members, to
If you have any questions about the items you see in these board meeting highlights, please reach out to the cooperative or your district representative on the board. Our business model works because our membership, management staff, and board of trustees are able to work with one another for the benefit of all.
From left to right: Kathy Fox (trustee), Judy Pickworth (trustee), Rodney “John” Eaton (president), Darrell Kick (Ohio state representative), Dick Stein (Ohio state representative), Jim McConnell (trustee).
MAY 2022 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 19
