Platte-Clay Electric Announces Results of Membership Election

Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative released the results of its 2020 membership election held during the month of August. One Board of Directors position from each of the cooperative’s three service districts (North, West and South) is on the ballot every year in addition to proposed amendments to the co-op’s by-laws.

The election, which is usually conducted at the cooperative’s in-person annual meeting, was moved to an online and mail-in ballot format due to COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings. A special waiver was granted to co-ops by the state this year to allow for this necessary change. 863 PCEC consumer-members participated in the adjusted-format election, a 184% increase in member participation from 2019.

Debi Koechner (North District), Gary Shanks (South District) and Kelly Parkhurst (West District) were all reelected to their positions on the Board of Directors. By-law Amendment One, pertaining to the process for approving memberships, passed with 97.5% of the vote. By-Law Amendment Two, pertaining to unclaimed capital credits, passed with 94.3% of the vote.

“We’re led by the consumer-members we serve, so it was important for us to find a way to allow for democratic participation in the cooperative despite the challenges posed by COVID-19,” said Dave Deihl, CEO and General Manager of Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative. “The future of our co-op is shaped by the needs of our members and we’re grateful for their active participation in our governance process.”

PCEC members interested in running for the Board of Directors submit their names to a committee that verifies they meet the criteria established by the by-laws for being put on the ballot. Candidates who do not submit their names to the committee by an established deadline can still get on the ballot by submitting a petition signed by 15 members.

Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative (PCEC) serves more than 24,000 accounts and nearly 3,000 miles of energized line in Buchanan, Caldwell, Clay, Clinton, DeKalb, Platte and Ray Counties, in the northland region of metropolitan Kansas City. PCEC was established in 1938 as part of the Rural Electrification Act, and today is among the fastest-growing electric cooperatives in the state of Missouri.

KPGZ News – Jim Dickerson contributed to this story