Fwd: IREA Voices - A Small Victory

[Michael Chiodo]

As ballots are being spotted today across IREA districts with elections, IREA Voices is claiming a small victory.

 

In an unprecedented move, Intermountain Rural Electrical Association (IREA) mailed postcards that arrived in mailboxes a day before the ballots asking for "member-consumers" to participate in the voting, stating that voting "makes for a better organization with the widest level of participation in the election process."  Members throughout the 5000 square miles of IREA's service territory are scratching their heads, as no one ever recalls such a postcard having been issued in the past.

 

Whereas opening the electric co-op to increased member-owner participation has always been one of the main goals of the only non-partisan, non-profit, unaffiliated group of concerned members, IREA Voices is pleased to see that the co-op is finally embracing the idea that greater member-owner participation leads to a greater organization!  "This is a great day for every member-owner of IREA," said Elizabeth Hirsh from district 7.  "We are able to exercise our democratic control over our cooperative by freely and fairly voting for our board members in this election."  Now we must put our faith in the employees of IREA to see that all received ballots are accounted for and delivered to the independent group that will tally the votes starting April 20th (after the annual meeting).

 

Some may consider this action by IREA to be hypocritical, asserting that IREA is only calling for greater participation by "member-consumers" in the assumption that it will favor the incumbent directors.  IREA Voices sees it differently though.  "This is just a first step," says Neil Preister, a founding member of the group and member-owner from district 7.  "The next step is for IREA to back up this call for greater member participation with another move toward making IREA more member-oriented, such as opening monthly board meetings to member-owner comment or opening director district meetings to all member-owners.  We will wait to see what their next move is."

 

The only concern that IREA Voices expresses over this postcard campaign for greater "member-consumer" participation is the cost that IREA had to undertake for it.  If IREA had been fostering member-owner participation all along, this separate mailing would not have been necessary.  Calls to an IREA spokesperson to discuss cost and budget appropriations for the postcard went unreturned.

 

Michael Chiodo