5 candidates seeking 2 MEA board seats

MAT-SU — With the deadline past for candidates to file to run for two open board seats in this year’s Matanuska Electric Association board election, four candidates have thrown their hats into the ring and a fifth is waiting for the utility to verify gathered signatures.

Lorali Carter, MEA’s manager of government and corporate communications, said four candidates chose to go through the utility’s nominating committee. The fifth chose another route by gathering at least 50 signatures from ratepayers and petitioning onto the ballot. The official list of candidates will be finalized by 5 p.m. Monday, she said.

The final candidate to submit his name to the nominating committee was Tom Baird. Baird served as mayor of Houston for a year and on Houston City Council for seven. He is a semi-retired commercial pilot and retired U.S. Army officer. Baird joins Palmer businesswoman, activist and former Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assemblywoman Janet Kincaid and her running mate, current board member and retired educator Peter Burchell. Also on the ballot will be current board president and retired newspaper publisher Lee Jordan.

The election will take place at the utility’s annual meeting March 1 at Colony High School, but the vast majority of votes arrive by mail, Carter said. Members can also cast ballots at the meeting. Members will be asked to choose two candidates but won’t need to specify who should get which seat.

Board members run at-large, which means the two top vote-getters will win seats on the board.

Baird said he wants to join the MEA board of directors to oversee the utility as it builds a power generation facility in the area.

“I hope to bring an independent set of eyes that have no ties to anyone,” he said.

Local power generation caused a stir last year as the utility moved forward with plans to build two 100-megawatt power generation plants in the Valley, one each fired by coal and natural gas. The coal plant met with vocal opposition and was eventually tabled for at least five years. The utility cited as reasons the rising cost of building materials and uncertainty after the Borough passed an ordinance regarding power plants amid the hullabaloo, Carter said.

The utility has a small stake in the Eklutna power, from which it draws about 19 megawatts, Carter said. The majority of its power is purchased from Chugach Electric Association under a contract the board voted last year not to renew.

Candidates were asked, among other questions, what rate increase, if any, they would support to promote energy produced with renewable resources.

Burchell and Kincaid declined to answer the question as there was no good answer. Jordan said it would be unwise to throw out a number, but noted ratepayers have consistently said they want the cheapest possible power.

As for Baird, “I would say that I’m for it if it will pay for itself,” he said. “There should be absolutely no rate increase.”

Another question asked candidates to discuss challenges facing the board. Kincaid and Burchell pointed to transparency in board operations, restoring public trust and mending fences the utility has knocked down in recent years. Jordan said the challenge is to create a system of local power generation.

Baird said the biggest challenge comes with the establishment of local power generation..