SDMEA Hometown Power

Hometown Power

CHRIS HILL | SDML DIRECTOR OF MUNICIPAL ELECTRIC SERVICES

Hometown Power is hometown utilities.

Each month, approximately two days late, I submit an article to our Director of Marketing and Communications. She does a great job of giving me some leeway when needed and does a wonderful job with our magazine. My shout-out to Emilie might appear to end there, but in all reality, what she does for our hometowns is great. Sure, the magazine is named South Dakota Municipalities, but what it really is, is South Dakota Hometowns.

The day-to-day events in those hometowns are why we choose to live in those municipalities. As I write this, it is election day. As I drove to my precinct headquarters to cast my vote, I realized that even though poll workers are entitled to some compensation, someone must do the fairly thankless job. Someone who cares enough to take enough time out of their lives to work the polls is someone who cares about their hometown and about the people who represent us in that hometown and in our state.

The same goes for everyone working in our hometowns across the state. Sure, I typically point out the 35 hometowns that own and operate an electric utility, but that goes for all 309 incorporated municipalities throughout the state. Each one of those municipalities has people that have been elected to represent the citizens. Each one of those municipalities has people working for those citizens as well. I am proud to live in our state, proud to live in one of the 309 and even more proud to live in one of the 35 municipalities that I represent.

Looking ahead, prior to legislative session coming up, I am planning on meeting with legislators and hope to have your presence as elected offi cials and employees of the hometowns at our meetings. We need to discuss the benefi ts of hometown utilities and why they are important to our hometowns to continue the process that you have established. If I have not reached out to you yet, expect a call or email from me to set up a date that might work to meet in your town with your local legislators.

Finally, on a personal note dating back to 2016, when I interviewed for this position, three people were involved. Two of the three have already retired, and the last one is retiring on Dec. 31. October was her last annual conference as the SDML Executive Director, but hopefully she comes back next year for the conference golf tournament. Yvonne Taylor’s knowledge and experience are unmatched. I am excited for her that she will get to travel and work on projects at home in her retirement and I am honored that I was a small part of her career and get to call her my friend. There aren’t many things that we disagree on, but she does know that her fl avor of beer is safe from me. All joking aside, Yvonne has made the job fun and has always been someone that we can learn from. She has been working for all 309 municipalities to make each one of your HOMETOWNS great!

Thank you to all of our HOMETOWNS in South Dakota for your continued work to make each one of them great! ■