January 2011
Board to Appoint Nominating Committee Nominating Committee At their January 27 board meeting, the Board of Directors will appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of nine members who will work together to nominate a list of candidates to run for election to the Board. Nominating Committee members may not be employees, agents, officers, directors, close relatives, or known candidates to become directors. The committee is structured to have adequate representation reflecting the number of directors from each district, except one member representing the membership-at-large who must be of the minority membership and may be a resident of any district. An in-depth training session with members of the Nominating Committee will be conducted in February prior to the committee’s normal process of selecting Board nominees for open board seats. The Nominating Committee will then meet on March 24 to develop the slate of Board candidates for the available seats. A list of the nominated candidates will be posted in each Blue Ridge Electric office.
Deadlines for Director Nominations Members wishing to be considered as a director nominee have two options: the Nominating Committee process or the nomination by petition process. All members interested in becoming a director candidate must complete and submit the cooperative’s director application packet by contacting Julie O’Dell-Michie, chief administrative officer. This form is due by March 1 when going through the Nominating Committee process and by April 1 for those seeking nomination by petition. Additionally, nominations by petition must be accompanied by the signatures of 15 or more members in good standing, with each signing his or her name as it appears on their electric service bill. The deadline for petitions is Thursday, April 1, at 5 p.m.
See “Nominating Committee” on page 20 Carolina Country JANUARY 2011 17
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Why did the people have to create their own provider? The utilities that first brought electricity to large cities just weren’t interested ― it wasn’t profitable or easy to serve more rural areas. Just as it is now, building power delivery systems-poles, wires, substations ― is very expensive. Building and maintaining power to homes and communities across mountainous terrain, in severe winter weather conditions, makes it even more difficult and expensive. We owe a lot to the founders of Blue Ridge Electric who had the vision to start their own electric cooperative and build it by the sweat of their brow. We must also credit President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who created the federal Rural Electrification Administration (REA). The REA’s low interest loans made it possible to build power systems in unserved, rural areas. Today, the Rural Utilities Services builds on that purpose in helping ensure power systems are maintained and electricity continues to flow to towns and countrysides served by cooperatives. Today Blue Ridge Electric serves more than 73,000 meters across seven counties. It’s the people ― our members ― behind those
meters who matter to the employees of our cooperative.
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We’re inviting our members to join us in celebrating a milestone here at Blue Ridge Electric: our cooperative turns 75 years old this year! We’ve come a long way since a few generations ago when there was no possibility of flipping a switch to light up our nights ― no heat pumps to warm our homes ― no easy way to get hot water to bathe, cook or wash our clothes and dishes. It was the dream for a better future for the next generations that led a small group of farmers and mom-and-pop business owners in Caldwell County to band together and create a way to provide their own electricity.
f hie yC An Editorial b
Making Membership Matter for 75 Years
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Our members are the reason our line technicians jump out of bed on cold winter nights to get the power back on when an ice storm hits. They’re why our front line staff greets you with warm smiles and knowledgeable solutions to help solve any issue. Our commitment to members is certainly behind our construction and right-of-way efforts to keep your electricity system reliable so that know you can depend on us no matter the weather or circumstances. And it’s why you see us implementing smart grid technology to help us operate more efficiently and also give members powerful information that can help them be more energy efficient or even take advantage of “pay as you go” and other service options made possible as a result of this new technology. It should come as no surprise that our members and local communities are the reason we support community causes. They’re also the reason we formed the Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation. We encourage the partnership between our members participating in Operation Round Up® and their cooperative to continue the tradition of building the quality of life for those we serve through community project grants and helping those in need of crisis heating assistance. As we kick off our 75th year, we invite you to celebrate with us all year long. We’ll be sharing history trivia with you as well as how we’re looking to the future to meet your needs and improve our local communities. After all, we’re building on a legacy of monumental proportions ― and 75 years of major milestones all along the way!
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Resolutions Deadline The deadline for members to submit resolutions to be considered for presentation at the 2011 Annual Membership Meeting is February 25. Resolutions should be addressed to Doug Johnson, PO Box 112, Lenoir, NC 28645. Proposed resolutions should clearly state their relevance to the cooperative’s mission, objectives and operations as well as how they relate to the cooperative’s membership. A Resolutions Committee will review submissions for compliance with the Resolutions policy. At the Board’s regular March meeting, the committee will make recommendations for any resolutions to the Board. If approved by the Board, the resolution(s) will be included with the cooperative’s mail ballot and proxy process. The Resolutions Committee is composed of chairpersons of the cooperative’s district Member Advisory Committees and members of the Board of Directors’ Policy and Member Relations Committee.
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More News Board Names Credentials and Election Committee During their regular monthly Board meeting in November, the members of your Board of Directors who are not up for re-election in 2011 have appointed the following members to the Credentials and Election (C&E) Committee to serve for a one-year term: Caldwell District Kelly Farr and Eugene (Gene) Woods Watauga District Jan Ellison, Robbie Sharret and Lowell Younce Ashe District Ralph Jones and J.E. Blevins Alleghany District Duane Davis and Mary Joines The following alternates were selected in the event one or more of the above members are unable to serve their term: Ron Kiziah and Ed Whitener (Caldwell District) Web Alexander (Watauga District) Gwen Ashley and James Young (Ashe District) LeAnn Gambill and Warren Taylor (Alleghany District) The C&E Committee is made up of members from across the cooperative’s service area, with equitable representation from each district. The key responsibilities of the committee are to ensure elections are properly conducted and to certify the results of the election of directors. A new C&E Committee responsibility this year will be approving the selection of an independent election ballot vendor who will manage the upcoming election process for the Cooperative. This is a result of recent amendments to the Bylaws (communicated to members last month) to provide a more convenient way for members to participate in their cooperative by voting in director elections by mail starting in 2011. The Committee will also meet in April to review and approve the qualifications of any nominations for director by petition and to review and approve the ballot and proxy to be mailed to the membership. More information on the 2011 director elections and the new mail ballot and proxy process will be communicated in this newsletter in the coming months prior to the June election.
Smart Meter Service Inspections While automated smart meters are greatly reducing the need to be on member’s property, we must still periodically check our equipment and perform maintenance. Blue Ridge Electric, or a contractor authorized by the cooperative, conducts inspections of the metering facilities. This inspection is in accordance with the requirements of the National Electrical Safety Code and helps ensure our members receive reliable and uninterrupted electric service from Blue Ridge Electric. Furthermore, as a safety precaution, authorized contractors and their vehicles will have official Blue Ridge Electric identification.
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Members Only NEWS
~For Members of Blue Ridge Electric
Nominating Committee (continued from page 17) CORPORATE OFFICE PO Box 112 • Lenoir, NC 28645
The names of member candidates running by petition will be posted in each district office along with those nominated by the Nominating Committee.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Doug Johnson
Information about Board candidates will be mailed to every Blue Ridge Electric member in May.
EDITOR Renée R. Whitener
Qualifications to serve as a director of Blue Ridge Electric: •
Must be receiving electric service from Blue Ridge Electric at their primary residence where they spend most of their time
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Must not be a close relative of an incumbent director or of an employee of the cooperative
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Membership must not have been suspended at any time during the 12 months preceding the annual meeting
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Must be a United States citizen
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Must be at least 21 years old and legally competent and available to attend regular Board and related meetings, training, and other events
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Must not be employed by, financially interested in, or serving as an officer, director, trustee or equivalent for a competing enterprise with the cooperative or its subsidiaries, or a business that sells products or supplies to the cooperative or its subsidiaries
To report an outage at any time, call one of the numbers listed above.
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Must not have been convicted of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude or a felony
OFFICE HOURS 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, Monday - Friday Night deposit available.
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Must not have been employed with the cooperative for the previous six years if a nominee is a former cooperative employee
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The Director-at-Large seat is reserved to represent the minority membership of the cooperative. Only African American, Native American, Asian, or Hispanic members are eligible for this seat.
PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR Susan Simmons DISTRICT OFFICES Caldwell (828) 754-9071 Watauga (828) 264-8894 Ashe (336) 246-7138 Alleghany (336) 372-4646 Wilkes (800) 451-5474 (800) 448-2383 PowerLine® (PowerLine® is an automated account information and outage reporting system.) Toll Free 1 (800) 451-5474 (for members outside the service area)
Visit us on the Web: www.BlueRidgeEMC.com
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