DURANGO, Colo. – Results for the 2020 La Plata Electric Association (LPEA) Board of Directors election were announced today at the electric cooperative’s partial virtual annual meeting. This partial meeting was held solely for the purpose of electing and seating new directors. The remainder of the meeting will be postponed until later this year when it can be held in person.
In accordance with LPEA’s bylaws, one seat in each of LPEA’s four districts comes up for election annually. John Lee Jr. and Sue McWilliams are two new LPEA board members, with incumbents Bob Lynch and Rachel Landis re-elected to their seats.
Detailed results are as follows:
District 1 (Archuleta County): Current LPEA Board President Bob Lynch was the only candidate to submit an election petition and has been reappointed to the board.
District 2 (south and west La Plata County): Two new candidates vied to fill the seat of retiring Director Davin Montoya. John Lee Jr. emerged as the winner with 1,286 votes. Doug Fults received 1,259 votes.
District 3 (City of Durango): Incumbent Rachel Landis won the race with 1,764 votes. Challenger Dave Nulton received 693 votes.
District 4 (north and east La Plata County): Challenger Sue McWilliams won the race with 1,330 votes. Incumbent Guinn Unger received 1,261 votes.
Out of 25,534 ballots mailed in Districts 2, 3 and 4, a total of 7,603 LPEA members cast votes for an approximate 29.7% return. This is an increase from the 26% return rate in the 2019 election. Return rates in 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015 were 26%, 28%, 22%, and 23% respectively.
“We want to thank our members for taking the time to consider all candidates and casting their vote for LPEA’s directors,” said LPEA CEO Jessica Matlock. “As a cooperative, we are owned by our members and depend on their involvement, feedback and input to ensure we serve our community effectively. I hope in future years we can convince more of our membership to vote to ensure their voice is heard in the LPEA boardroom.”
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the LPEA Board of Directors is Wednesday, May 20th, beginning at 9 a.m. on zoom. Access details can be found at: lpea.coop/board-directors
LPEA is a member-owned, not-for-profit, electric distribution cooperative serving La Plata and Archuleta, with segments of Hinsdale, Mineral and San Juan counties. LPEA is the fifth largest cooperative of 22 in Colorado, and aims to provide safe, reliable electricity at the lowest reasonable cost to its approximately 34,000 members. For additional information, contact LPEA at 970.247.5786 or visit www.lpea.coop.