MEA's ‘corporate deadbeats' blasted

March 31, 2006

DAWN DE BUSK

Frontiersman reporter

WASILLA - Wasilla resident David Dahms and Tom Staudenmaier of Eagle River - two of three candidates competing for a pair of three-year seats on the local electric co-op's board - answered a flurry of questions during a candidate forum Tuesday at the Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

Candidate Lois Lester, who has served two terms with the Matanuska Electric Associa-tion board of directors, did not attend. She was on a family vacation, which had been arranged before the forum was scheduled.

Chamber member John Klapperich asked Dahms what key issue the board faced.

&#8220To Chugach Electric Association, all we are is a toaster - a 42 million-dollar toaster. The key to our wise development, in part, is how well we can supply our own power,” said Dahms, who earned an engineering degree prior to pursuing a degree in theology and becoming a pastor.

&#8220The first thing we do is order the turbines,” he said. &#8220You can't wait until the last minute to do that. This next three-year period will establish how prepared we are to supply electricity. I don't want to be a toaster.”

He added that the board's decision on which direction to go depends on the results of research by a long-range planning committee.

&#8220As far as the world determines, Alaska has the fifth-largest supply of coal,” Dahms said, and the state's oil reserves are getting low.

In the MEA election packet mailed to households that use electricity, Lester, who holds a degree in chemistry, said the most vital issues include creating &#8220a viable generation facility by 2014 that will be capable of producing enough power for all members of the cooperative. A third challenge is to extend the life of the older grid system and substations.”

Self-proclaimed perennial candidate Staudenmaier argued against MEA putting money into what he predicts would become another failed project.

&#8220I'm ready to politically destroy anyone who talks about buying another power plant,” he said.

Staudenmaier, who served on the board twice, in 1982 and 1984, favors a statewide 15-person electric board, instead of duplicated boards and utilities. That single board would report to the state Senate, he said.

&#8220This issue is coming to a head. You want to cut your electric bill?” he asked. &#8220Clean up the utilities, merge, sell (unused power plants), pay off the debts, get on our own grid, and put some money in our pockets.”

Staudenmaier questioned the culture of &#8220corporate deadbeats” that he said is running MEA and siphoning ratepayers' money for excessive salaries and benefits.

&#8220Why are we feeding all these corporate deadbeats? Where do they get off paying (general manager) Wayne Carmony $200,000 a year?” he asked, additionally noting Carmony's nine weeks of paid vacation, new co-op-supplied SUV and $12 million in legal fees racked up by MEA during Carmony's tenure.

When moderator Chas St. George asked Staudenmaier if he planned to shut down MEA and how he could fairly represent the co-op members, he didn't answer.

MEA board member Peter Burchell talked to Staudenmaier recently and said, &#8220He's got a lot of good points, but he goes off like Wild Bill,” and his anger causes people to tune out his message.

In her written candidacy statement, Lester addressed MEA management's history of exclusivity and attempts to silence opposing points of view.

&#8220Finally, the most important challenge is remembering that positive public relations are important to any organization, and its members should be treated with respect,” she wrote.

A second forum had been scheduled for Wednesday with the Palmer Chamber of Commerce, but was canceled because Lester was not available, according to Dusty Silva, Palmer chamber president.

The Eagle River Chamber of Commerce, usually part of the annual debate circuit for board candidates, didn't schedule one this year.

The election is scheduled for Sunday, starting at 2 p.m., during MEA's annual board meeting at Chugiak High School in Eagle River.

Tuckerman Babcock, MEA's director of human resources and corporate affairs, said the location was chosen because three of the seven board members reside in Eagle River and had asked when the annual meeting would be closer to their hometown.

&#8220This is the first time it's ever been held in Eagle River,” Babcock said. &#8220This is probably the last time. Working with the Anchorage School District costs 10 times as much (as the Mat-Su Borough School District.)”

He said he expects attendance at Sunday's meeting to be low because many people won't bother driving the longer distance.

Contact Dawn De Busk at 352-2252 or dawn.debusk@

frontiersman.com.