MEA’s shenanigans keep coming

For months, people have been calling for the dismissal of Wayne Carmony as general manager of MEA, and Tuckerman Babcock for his role as assistant manager.

Somehow the board managed the co-op’s business under the weight of these two heavies until the ballots went out in the mail, the annual meeting is in the wings.

Now, in this time of potential change, the board finds that it’s time to oust these two, plus Bruce Scott who had no say of any kind about what the board did or didn’t do.

This purge looks a lot like political gamesmanship by the board.

Generally speaking, the acrimony between the board and Carmony had gotten to the point of bringing shame to the electric co-op. They wouldn’t let him speak to the public. He couldn’t speak to the board unless asked to speak. Everything they’ve done to silence and neuter Carmony has been nothing short of firing him with pay for, apparently, his ineffectiveness. Why fire him now?

The bottom line is, nobody should lose their jobs until a new board is seated and can evaluate employees as that board sees fit. The new board shouldn’t have to take what’s handed to it by incessant politicking.

And it’s not just the gutless treatment of Carmony — who has been accused by many of mismanagement — there have been rumors of Lois Lester having “meetings” over the phone to make sure she had the votes to act before a real meeting took place. If this is true, Lester should rescind her candidacy for her seat on the board.

Now Wednesday afternoon, the board meets in the middle of a work day — on short notice — to get its ducks in line before they do something “official.”

And while we’re at it, the Friends of MEA are no better with their refusal to accept they weren’t wanted and now raise Cain whenever they can in their effort for “transparency.”

The bylaw the Friends propose about doing business with MEA is unnecessary. Too many good citizens would be eliminated from participating under its stringent rules.

All these people need to be hosed down and disinfected and sent on their way and a whole new bunch brought in to try to make things right over there. Because the way this election process has gone, embarrassment is the only thing accomplished by these “leaders.”

The MEA’s member-owners deserve honest and open governance of its co-op from management and the board of directors. They deserve a board and management that is committed to working together to deliver reliable and affordable power to its service area instead of the constant bickering and back-biting we’ve been subjected to.