Board Director Candidate Information

Dusty Mars

Elect Dusty Mars for LPEA Board – Proven Leadership for Our Energy Future

Archuleta County needs a leader on the LPEA Board who understands energy, infrastructure, and the needs of our community. Dusty Mars is that leader.

A Colorado School of Mines graduate, Dusty has built a career in nuclear, petroleum, and power supply engineering. He developed reactor refueling plans, optimized energy production, and managed engineering teams. With four years integrating power supply projects and two years as an area supervisor, he has the expertise to ensure reliable, affordable electricity for LPEA members.

Beyond his engineering background, Dusty is deeply rooted in this community. A 4th-generation farmer and LPEA member since 2004, he manages seven meters on his family farm. He also served five years as a public and private school math and science teacher and has been coaching and organizing wrestling tournaments for 19 years.

As coal plants close, electric vehicle adoption grows, and new technologies emerge, LPEA needs experienced leadership to make the right decisions. Dusty understands the challenges ahead and is ready to represent the interests of local businesses, farmers, and families.

Encouraged by LPEA members and business owners, Dusty Mars is ready to serve. He will bring technical expertise, real-world leadership, and a deep commitment to the community to the board.

Your vote matters. Elect Dusty Mars to protect affordable, reliable power for our future.

Holly Metzler

My name is Holly Leann Metzler. It has been my profound honor to serve on the Board of Directors, La Plata Electric Association, as a Director for District One. I am running for a third term on the board.

For six years, I have focused on understanding the rural electric cooperative business, past and future. To achieve this aim, I have completed the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Credentialed Board Director Certificate, Board Leadership Certification and Director Gold, the highest level of attainment offered by NRECA.

I regularly attend webinars and seminars hosted by entities such as the Department of Energy, Colorado Energy Office and the National Renewable Energy Lab to widen my perspectives.

It has also been my honor to serve as the LPEA representative to the Colorado Rural Electric Association, where I just received my five-year service pin.

All this participation is to better understand the energy transition and how new technology innovation will impact or benefit our energy systems going forward.

The decision to rewrite a power contract is one of the most significant decisions a board can undertake. I believe in the long run, a more affordable and resilient electric system for the member-owners of La Plata Electric Association will be achieved by more local control.

Vote Holly Metzler for the Board of Directors, La Plata Electric Association District One.

Greg Barber

My name is Greg Barber, and I am running for the District 2 LPEA Board of Directors seat.

If elected, I will commit to help provide safe, reliable, affordable and environmental responsible power to the LPEA Members. I will work hard with LPEA Staff to achieve our strategic goals of:
- A smooth transition from our Tri State Generation and Transmission Association Inc relationship;
- Continue LPEA's work on securing our power needs and support our greenhouse gas reduction goals;
- Modernizing infrastructure to minimize outages and adapt to evolving energy demands; and
- Expanding member programs, fostering local partnerships, and driving economic development.

I have recently retired from a large utility providing power, water, wastewater, storm water and natural gas services to over a million customers. I am very familiar with the finances, regulation and operations of a utility and the rigor it takes to provide safe and reliable services. I am a retired CPA with over 45 years of accounting and finance experience, I hope to use this experience to help the LPEA Staff continue to provide the highest quality of financial accounting and reporting for its’ Members.

Thank you for your time to learn more about me, and I would appreciate your vote for the LPEA District 2 Board of Directors seat.

Brad Blake

I am excited to serve La Plata Electric Association (LPEA) members as a Director for District 2. With experience in both the private and public sectors I am committed to LPEA's long-term success. As a business owner, I built and operated three successful companies-two in plumbing and mechanical services and one in solar. During my four years as a La Plata County Commissioner I made policy decisions that benefitted all residents. As the county's chief executive officer I worked on local, state and federal issues while serving on multiple boards including as Vice Chair of the Government Affairs Committee for Colorado Counties, Inc. (CCI) Seeing the need for workforce housing I partnered with a local business owner to develop a project helping local workers become homeowners. I also serve on the board of a nonprofit funding a private secondary school in Guatemala providing academic and trade education. My focus has been securing funding to support these life-changing opportunities. My greatest blessing is my family. My wife of 41 years and I grew up in Durango and we are proud parents of three sons and grandparents to seven wonderful grandchildren. If elected I will prioritize safe, reliable, and affordable power while ensuring transparency. Sustainable policies are critical to LPEA's future. I ask for your vote for LPEA Board of Directors District 2.

Terry Greiner

LPEA’s mission statement: “LPEA is a cooperative that provides safe, reliable electricity at the lowest reasonable cost. Their mission is to bring the power of electricity to every farm, ranch, and home in their region. They are committed to reducing their carbon footprint and integrating local renewables.” This is still the mission of LPEA, even during the challenging times we find ourselves in.

The LPEA BODs have a colossal task in balancing the multitude of factors to stay within the LPEA mission. These factors encompass changing technology, funding, sourcing, and setting policies that provide satisfactory results for LPEA employees and members. A review of the results shows us the outstanding job the recent and current BODs have done, keeping rates and operating costs low compared to regional and national averages and within the operating budget during times of high inflation.

I see an opportunity to join the LPEA BODs in order to help it remain on its current path. My business acumen, honed by selling and supporting products and services of Fortune Enterprise companies to Fortune 100 companies domestically and internationally, provides experiences transferable to LPEA BOD's mission. This, along with my Accounting and Business Data Systems degree, provides me with a unique ability to find economically viable solutions that have value in the short and long term.

As an LPEA board member, I will;
Subscribe to implementing industry best practices in LPEAs' operations.
Ensuring the disciplined use of due diligence in decision-making.
Understanding the short-term and long-term financial and 

David Peters

I have an extensive experience in finance, contract development/negotiations, developing long term business plans, engineering reviews and safety policies. As a manager and executive for 25 years I have the ability to distill complex issues down to the key points that people can understand. As a LPEA director I will focus on ensuring we have a healthly financial plan, monitor how a changing supply/demand forecast will impact reliability, ensure we are transparent with LPEA members and that they have a vote on major issues. I will also focus on ensureing we have a solid development and succession plan for employees. As an owner of solar pannels I have first had experience on the chalanges home owners face with everything from equipment selection to permitting with LPEA. I think there are areas for improvement with the LPEA approval process. Finally, the cost of electricity is a major cost to most members and I will focus on keeping costs down and ensure we minimize exposure to market volatility.

Joe Lewandowski

For the last six years, as a member of the LPEA board of directors, I’ve worked to keep our mission focused on the future. I want to serve a third term to help drive our co-op’s positive momentum toward independence and to embrace new, clean-energy sources.

Keeping the power on 24-hours-a-day is no small task. Fortunately, LPEA’s talented staff is keeping the co-op on track, and moving ahead diligently to secure a variety of power options.

LPEA’s move away from Tri-State brings new opportunities for local generation, and provides the path to plug into non-polluting power sources.  One of my favorite sayings is “Think Globally, Act Locally!”. Clearly, co-op members are on board with that message, and for years have stated clearly that they want to do their part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). A year from now, when LPEA’s contract with Tri-State ends, we’ll immediately reduce our carbon emissions by at least 25%. Besides significantly cutting GHG emissions, early indications show that with a diverse power portfolio LPEA’s cost to buy power will be lower than what we pay Tri-State.

Still another huge advantage for LPEA will result from being detached from Tri-State’s debt load which is more than $3 billion! Soon we’ll be using our co-op’s revenue to build our own “power house” — not paying rent to a financially strapped landlord.

I am asking for your support. The future of our power supply lies in continual innovation; now is the time to continue moving forward.

Lyle McKnight

My name is Lyle McKnight and I am running for LaPlata Electric Association District 4 Board of Directors. I am a 5th generation native of LaPlata County. I was born in the old community hospital and raised on a small farm in the Animas Valley. I grew up with strong moral values, along with the hard work and dedication that comes with farm life and small-town living.

I lived the local education experience from attending Riverview Elementary, Smiley Junior High and Durango High School. I attended both San Juan College and Fort Lewis College, all while embracing my true passion of motorcycles and started my own dealership called the Fun Center in 1992.

As with all new small businesses, I struggled and encountered many roadblocks along the way. Ever determined, I continued growing exponentially year after year, adding employees and expanding square footage. Over the years, I grew the dealership into the largest and most successful powersports store in the region with multiple locations.

I have made executive decisions, created business plans and understand how to put together budgets to make sure money is spent efficiently and effectively. I am a professional and ready to serve and address the following issues that I feel are critical to LPEA and our members future:

1. Rising electricity costs
2. Buyout concerns
3. Transparency concerns
4. Energy Reliability
5. CEO Salary concerns
6. Green Agenda Subsidies

John Witchel

LPEA is well run and financially stable thanks to our incredible staff and leadership team. We have a balanced budget, dependable leadership, low-cost electricity, and an increasingly clean energy supply. I am grateful to be an LPEA board member.

Lowering your electric bill, building renewables, and fire mitigation are my top priorities. Our 2024 outage stats were the lowest in 10 years. We completed Electra Lake, CR 250 and Pagosa to Bayfield rebuilds on budget and ahead of schedule. We exceeded all financial health targets including operating margins, cash reserves, and debt to equity objectives. We launched the Sunnyside Solar Facility and announced a 40MW PPA of solar power from Dolores Canyon. We hosted food drives, sponsored FLC’s Hawk Tank, and launched the Giving Tree program.

Protecting us from extreme weather is my top priority. When you see an LPEA truck fixing electric poles, performing fire mitigation, or burying an electric line, take a moment to wave! We are grateful for their hard work.

As a local business leader, I helped drive over $50 million in local investments. I am a local employer, and an investor in startups throughout the region. I served on the board of directors of Animas High School. I graduated from Stanford University on a full athletic scholarship, and later earned a Masters in CS.

The LPEA board is a paid position and I donate all my LPEA income to the Round Up Foundation.

Please visit www.johnwitchel.com to learn more.