Director Vacancy And Candidacy Announcement

Annual Meeting

The board of directors of Sangre de Cristo Electric Association set June 20, 2019, for the cooperative’s 79th Annual Meeting. The meeting will be held in Westcliffe.

Members of the cooperative will vote on two director positions, act on financial data for the year 2018 and consider any other business that may come before the meeting.

Director Seats

Fremont County incumbent director Geoffrey Gerk is running for election to his seat. Custer County incumbent Donald Kaufman will not seek re-election.

Members will vote on director candidates by voice vote at the annual meeting or by mail if the race is contested.

All director candidates are nominated by petition. Fifteen or more current members of the cooperative must sign each nomination petition. Any member interested in running for a director seat should review the following guidelines and pick up an official nomination petition at the cooperative’s headquarters in Buena Vista. Members must reside within the director district to be considered for nomination.

Nomination petitions are due by close of business Monday, May 6, 2019.

Candidate Guidelines

Directors of rural electric cooperatives establish policy and provide leadership in a complex, technical and ever-changing industry. They do not deal with day-to-day operations of the cooperative and do not work in the cooperative office on a daily basis. Directors attend a minimum of one board meeting per month and may attend other meetings or training programs held outside Sangre de Cristo’s service territory or out of state. In addition, rural electric directors spend a considerable amount of time reading co-op and industry material and maintaining a current knowledge of industry trends. Consider the following qualifications and responsibilities when choosing a member for nomination or when deciding to run for a director position.

Qualifications

To qualify for directorship, a person shall:

• Be a member of the cooperative or an individual authorized by an entity member;
• Be a resident of the designated director district;
• Have the capacity to enter into legally binding contracts;
• Disclose all monetary and in-kind contributions and expenditures directly or indirectly to or from his/her campaign for election to the board.

No person shall be eligible to become or remain a director who:

• Has failed to report all monetary and in-kind contributions and/or expenditures.
• Has been convicted of, is pleading guilty to, or had pleaded guilty to a felony.
• Is or has been within the five years preceding June 20, 2019:
  • Employed by Sangre de Cristo Electric or the spouse of an employee.
  • Employed by or has a significant financial interest in a business that sells or provides commodities, products or services to the cooperative.
  • Employed by or a full or partial owner of an electric or natural gas utility, a propane company, or a renewable/ alternative energy company, or has a significant financial interest in an entity that regularly competes with Sangre de Cristo, any entity that the cooperative controls or in which it has a substantial interest.
  • A close relative of an incumbent director or present employee of the cooperative or a person living in the same household as an existing employee or director.
  • Fired from the cooperative, involved in a lawsuit against the cooperative, received a severance package from or was laid off from the cooperative, or is the spouse of an employee or former employee involved in the same.
  • Involved in a contractual relationship with the cooperative or the spouse of any person so involved.

Directors serve without salary but may be allowed fair remuneration for their time actually spent in the service of the cooperative as directors, consistent with rural electric cooperative practice. Candidates should agree to serve the entire term of office for which they are elected. The position of director shall not be used to further any political ambition, and directors must be capable of representing the entire membership on an impartial basis.

Responsibilities

A director must be willing to:

• Promote and safeguard the interests of the cooperative;
• Expend the effort necessary to understand the cooperative’s problems and provide the needed judgment to reach decisions in constantly changing circumstances;
• Support all official decisions and actions made or taken by the board;
• Study information in reports submitted to the board;
• Contribute to the development of statements on board functions and responsibilities, and work toward their constant improvement;
• Objectively evaluate and consider the questions and problems which face the cooperative;
• Stay informed of the cooperative’s ideals and objectives, and study and analyze the policies, plans and problems which result from efforts to achieve those ideals and objectives;
• Keep informed on and aware of the attitudes of members, employees and the general public toward the cooperative’s objectives and policies;
• Inform all interested persons about the cooperative’s ideals, objectives, programs and services; and
• Attend classes to attain NRECA director certification within the first full three-year term of office and work toward NRECA board leadership certification within the second or third term.

Personal Qualifications

A director candidate should display the following personal qualifications:

• Good business record and possession of sound business judgment;
• Demonstrated capacity for leadership and reputation for honesty and good judgment;
• Demonstrated capacity for working with others; and
• Ideals and objectives compatible with cooperative philosophy and principles.