Three New Directors Elected to United Power’s Board at 70th Annual Meeting

Board Honors Retirement of Lois Lesser with Announcement of New Annual Scholarship

Brighton, Colo.—United Power members elected three new directors and one incumbent director to the cooperative’s board of directors at the 2009 Annual Membership Meeting held on Apr. 15.  Members, guests and employees were on hand in United Power's headquarters to hear reports about the cooperative's performance at the 70th Annual Meeting themed, “Saving Your Money”.

The meeting began with a presentation to honor retiring director Lois Lesser. Lesser joined the board in Sept. 1989, when she filled the seat of her late husband Al Lesser, who died in a plane crash on official United Power business. Presentations were made by board president Dick McLean, United Power staff and the IBEW Local 111.  United Power also announced a new $1,000 annual Lois Lesser Scholarship, which will be awarded for the first time in 2010 to a student in United Power’s service territory pursuing a career in education in honor of Lesser’s longtime career as an educator.

“It is difficult to sum up her contributions in simple timelines. She has helped to pilot the cooperative through times of great growth, and through economic slumps,” said McLean of Lesser. “Lois has been a face for the cooperative in the communities we serve and she has been a steady influence, providing common sense and grounded opinions.”

Members also cast their ballots for the ten director candidates vying to serve on the cooperative’s board. Customers voted either by mail-in ballot, or in-person at the annual meeting. United Power members cast 5,202 ballots and the results of the votes were announced when counting was finalized at 8:45 p.m.

In the South district, the new director seat was won by Bill Berens with 1,819 votes. Candidate Shawn Enriques received 1,437 votes and incumbent Ray Kilgore received 1,747 votes.

In the East district, Tim Erickson won with 2,573 votes to beat incumbent director Dick McLean who received 2,449 votes.

Three candidates vied for the director seat left open in the West district by the retirement of Lois Lesser. Brian McCormick won the seat with 2,882 votes, beating challengers Tom Janich who received 1,145 votes and Terry Sisson with 962 votes.

In the Mountain district, incumbent director Richard Newman retained his seat with 2,859 votes. Opponent Donald Herod garnered 2,118 votes.

United Power’s Annual Meeting also included a presentation from board president Dick McLean who highlighted the efforts the co-op is taking to be responsible stewards of its members’ investments while being responsive to changing market conditions.

General Manager and CEO, Robert Broderick, talked about the unique challenges facing the electric industry, and described how United Power is working with its wholesale power provider, Tri-State Generation & Transmission, to meet those challenges. He illustrated how United Power is developing programs to help our members save money, and talked about efforts United Power is taking to control costs. Broderick also announced United Power’s newest program, the Sol Partners Cooperative Solar Farm.

“The Sol Partners solar farm is a self-sustaining renewable program perpetuated by the members who are interested in investing in solar energy without adding a burden to the members who are not,” said Broderick.

Secretary-Treasurer Richard Newman outlined the financial results for the year, noting the good financial condition of the cooperative despite rising power costs, which were 70% of United Power’s expenses in 2008. Newman also highlighted the retirement of $3 million in capital credits to members in 2008. Members were encouraged to watch the cooperative’s newsletter, United Newsline, for updates regarding a possible 2009 capital credit retirement.

United Power, a Touchstone Energy® Cooperative, is a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative delivering electricity to more than 65,000 customers at homes, business, and farms in Colorado's north central front range. More information about the organization and energy saving tips can be found at www.unitedpower.com.