The Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) is holding its annual election for their Board of Directors. Ballots should be mailed out on May 15. I put this blog together to provide some information on the DMEA Board and offer a recommendation on the election.
DMEA members elect a board of directors, which govern the cooperative on the members' behalf. DMEA’s board of directors is made up of nine members from all parts of the service territory. The board also hires a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to carry out the objectives of the board and to supervise the staff and employee group. Each year, there is an election to determine representatives for three of DMEA’s nine board districts. All members may vote for any candidate regardless of the district in which they reside.
As I mentioned above ballots are mailed out on May15 and concludes June 15. Voted ballots must be returned by mail, or members can vote in person at DMEA’s Annual Meeting. But mailed ballots must be received before June 15. The three open positions are in:
1) District 6 (City of Delta and NW corner of County),
2) District 7 (Cedaredge, Orchard City, Redlands and Oak Mesa) and the
3) North Region (Everything north of the Delta-Montrose County Line, includes Districts 3,6 &7).
Two of the candidates came to our Delta County Republican Central Committee meeting on May 2, 2023. The first was Damon Lockhart who is a two-term incumbent for District 6. He is running for a third-term. The second was Paul Sweitzer who is running for the North Region position. We were impressed with both candidates. We believe they would both be excellent members of the DMEA Board of Directors.
The DMEA Board typically meets the 4th Tuesday monthly. Next regular meeting is:
Regular Meeting of the DMEA Board of Directors Tuesday May 23, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. Member comments at 5:00 p.m. DMEA Headquarters - 11925 6300 Rd. Montrose, CO 81401 Zoom attendance option available
The candidates for the three positions are:
District 6
Damon Lockhart, incumbent
Mark G. Youngwirth
District 7
Enno Heuscher MD, incumbent running unopposed
North Region
Paul Sweitzer
Stacia Cannon, incumbent
The voters for the upcoming election are the “members” of the DMEA. In other words, they are the individuals who signed up for membership. You need to make sure that you are the individual who signed up. In my case, my wife is the member who gets to vote, as she was the one who signed us up when we joined DMEA in 1993. So, make sure the right person does the voting. There are about 20,000 members in DMEA but only about 3,000 members vote. This is your opportunity to make a difference.
In the past we were not able to make recommendations on these types of elections, as our county party bylaws required us to stay neutral until after the primary. Well, there are no primaries in these “non-partisan” elections. This was an issue in the 2021 Delta County school board election, when three conservatives ran against one liberal candidate in District 4. The liberal candidate won, as the three conservatives split the vote. However, we changed our bylaws earlier this year, and we can now make recommendations on these types of elections, including school board and municipal elections. The state has categorized these types of elections as non-partisan, so no party affiliations are shown for the candidates.
However, as in most things in this country, there is partisanship. People have developed very strong opinions and ideas and tend to make their decisions depending how they comply with their established philosophies and ideas. I am not going to bring up party affiliation for the candidates in the DMEA election, but I will say that the two individuals we are recommending, will vote conservatively and in the best interests of the DMEA members. They will not follow an ideological agenda, such as voting for “green” energy to “save the planet”. I am not against the so-called renewable energy. However, when we consider using it, it needs to be because it is the best thing for the DMEA members. And not to accomplish some philosophical agenda. So please vote, if you are a DMEA member and I strongly encourage you to vote for Damon Lockhart and Paul Sweitzer.
David Bradford
Chairman, Delta County Republican Central Committee
PS –Remember you can donate to the Delta County Republican Central Committee, by going to our website https://www.deltacoloradogop.com. Since we won’t have the Headquarters open for most of this year, donations are critical in helping build up our bank account so we have funds for supporting our candidates in the 2024 election. An individual donation of $20 is a great small donation. You can also donate in person at our monthly meeting. Our next scheduled meeting is Tuesday June 6th at the Surface Creek Community Church in Austin. Hope to see you there! Thank you! db
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