How many egg masks can MEA board of directors endure?

Frontiersman editorial board

Will the sparks ever stop flying on the Matanuska Electric Association board of directors? In what has seemingly become an obsession with at least some board members, Michael Janecek's seat is again under attack during a board election cycle. This time board member Bill Folsom leads the charge, again contending that Janecek has violated bylaws. The bylaws in question seem essentially tailor-made to target Janecek.

Last year Janecek was unseated from the board because he supposedly refused to submit to a drug test, but Judge Beverly Cutler held that his removal was incorrect, and she reinstated him to the board. This time the charge is that Janecek failed to disclose contacts he had with members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Janecek contends that the contacts were indirect (through his lawyer), and that he wasn't required to disclose them. Folsom made a motion allowing Janecek one month to come up with a good reason for the non-disclosure, and then he would, once again, face potential removal from the board. Should that happen, and history tells us it's all but inevitable, yet another law suit is sure to follow.

Isn't MEA tired of paying Janecek's legal fees? While it may enhance one's complexion, it can't be good public relations for the MEA board and management to keep wiping egg off their faces.

It appears Janecek and board member Scott Daugharty have raised the hackles of some other board members by contending that the board should work more independently of MEA management's positions. So far, the MEA board has largely walked in step with management, and board members who suggest another alternative are apparently perceived as boat rockers.

For MEA members, it seems a boat rocker or two provides a system of checks and balances that can only serve to protect the interests of customers. The MEA board is a politically-charged environment, and the arguments often seem to range from petty to preposterous, and how customers could be anything but disgusted escapes us.

It is no accident that these debates heat up during election cycles. It is no coincidence that the recent bylaw additions seem specifically designed for one member, and it's no surprise that the atmosphere around MEA has become venomous again -- no surprise, but a great disappointment. Let the members decide with their ballots and drop the hyperbole. We'd count that as good customer service.