MEA's problems bigger than coal

KATIE WIELICZKIEWICZ/Spectrum

May 29, 2007

On May 14, I attended a meeting that worried me. It was a meeting that was deciding part of my future.

I am concerned that at the meeting, held by the Matanuska Electric Association board of directors, the board did not listen to the public's comments about tomorrow. The decisions and acts of the board have caused me to wonder why everything is so secretive.

A member of the MEA board asked private filmers not to record the meeting. I was proud when Valley citizens with licensed media ID cards volunteered to film for those without.

School has just ended, but I remember most of the lessons still, especially from history. I recall learning of a man who kept many secrets from the people he served.

Lies were told and trust was lost to the public. Eventually, President Nixon lost his position as our country's leader. Whether he was telling the truth or bettering our country did not matter. Because he was not honest and open, he lost his position.

In English, we learned about parallelism, which is evident in the actions of the MEA board. If the coal plant is so beneficial for our Valley, why is the reasoning behind it kept hidden?

As a teenager, I'm not as worried about the mercury in the water or the price increase, because it doesn't directly affect me yet, especially since I leave for college in a year. I am, however, worried about the integrity of the Valley's elected officials.

On the MEA Web site, a copy is posted of the co-op's bylaws for its members to read. Bylaws are not like general rules - they must be followed for an organization to flow. Once again, MEA has different thoughts on the matter.

Under Article III Section 8, it states that, &#8220it is the intent of the Association that actions and deliberations of the board of directors be made openly; the members-owners, by delegation authority to the board of directors do not give the board the right to decide what is good for the members to know, and what is not good for the members to know; the right of member-owners to remain informed shall be protected so that they retain control over the Association.”

After reading this section of the MEA bylaws, I'm troubled to think that MEA is not only losing integrity by keeping its plans secret, but the board and administration are also being unethical by going against their own bylaws. If the board of directors of the co-op has decided they are above their own bylaws, as understood by their member-owners, barely revised for a year, how far will they go to fulfill their personal needs instead of the co-op's needs?

When a person is elected to be on a board, by their peers, they are a representative of the people, and must forget their own wants. If the people do not want a coal-fired power plant, the board of directors should realize this and follow their members' wishes.

I won't pretend I understand everything about the coal company coming, because I don't. As I said earlier, my first issue isn't with the water pollutants or increased prices. It is with some of the leaders of our community.

Teenagers need role models so they know how to conduct their lives. If the future generation is learning to be secretive and untrustworthy, be assured tomorrow's problems will be more than coal.

Katie Wieliczkiewicz just finished her junior year at Wasilla High School. She has been a student columnist for the Frontiersman for the last two years, appearing every four weeks on the Schools page.