Three Open Seats on Co-Op Board

Three Crawford Electric Cooperative Board of Director seats need to be filled with an election coinciding with the annual meeting of members Wednesday, Sept. 12.

Co-op members interested in running for the board may begin filing their nominating petitions Thursday, June 14. The petitions must be signed by at least 15 co-op members.

Candidate information packets are currently available at the co-op.

As a locally owned and locally controlled not-for-profit cooperative, Crawford Electric is guided by a nine-member board composed of co-op members. The board sets policy and develops long-range goals, always safe-guarding the interests of co-op members.

To be a candidate, a person must be a member of the cooperative whose permanent residence is in the co-op’s service territory. In addition, the co-op bylaws list potential conflicts of interest that preclude an individual’s candidacy.

Members interested in running for the board should request a copy of the co-op’s bylaws. The candidate must declare which district position he or she will seek and should contact the co-op to verify district residency.

Three three-year board positions — one from each of the co-op’s three geographic districts — are up for election at each annual meeting. The expiring director positions currently are held by Melvin King of Sullivan, District 1; Doug Murphy of Bourbon, District 2; and Jim Cottrell of Cherryville, District 3.

Nominating petitions must be delivered to the co-op office during the official petition period, which begins at 8 a.m. June 14 and runs through the close of business on Friday, July 27. First-day filers will draw random numbers to determine ballot order placement. Thereafter, candidates will be listed in the order petitions are received at the co-op.

The director election will be decided by a vote of the co-op membership. Members may vote at the annual meeting, set to begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, at co-op headquarters. Those unable to attend the meeting may vote for directors by mail. Co-op members will be receiving a mail-in ballot request form as an insert with their August electric bills.

Crawford Electric Cooperative is a member of Touchstone Energy, a national alliance of locally owned, community-minded electric co-ops with high standards of service. Crawford Electric serves more than 19,000 meters along more than 3,300 miles of distribution lines in Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Washington and Dent counties.