MEA Board Elections Begin Soon

Matanuska Electric Association, or MEA, will hold board elections from the end of March through April 25. Co-op members can vote by mail or online before the deadline, or in person at the April 25th meeting.

There are nine candidates vying for two open positions. The Susitna River Coalition, or SRC, will host a non-partisan virtual candidate forum on Tuesday, March 28 at 6pm. The event will be streamed live and a recording will be made available afterward for those who are unable to attend. All candidates have been invited to the forum.

The SRC was created in response to the Susitna-Watana Dam project and is focused on protecting the Susitna River, its communities, and its ecosystems. Projects that can have significant environmental impacts have been a focal point for the group, including the Dam and the proposed West Susitna Access Road and Corridor. Margaret Stern, Communications and Outreach Manager for SRC notes that MEA Board elections are one way that residents can impact energy in our area.

“Folks that pay bills to MEA are member owners so we all have the power to shape what that energy future looks like by voting in these elections. And the folks that end up on the board have the capacity to drive what the future of energy looks like for the utility area.”

MEA Co-Op members will have about a month to make their selections and cast their votes.

June Okada, Energy Coordinator for SRC talks about how the voting works.

“Only 11 percent of member-owners voted last year, which is a really small amount of people voting. We want that number to go up this year. All members will be able to vote for their top two candidates. The candidates with the most votes will serve a four-year term and the candidate with the second most number of votes will serve a three-year term.”

Ahead of the forum and the elections, Susitna River Coalition sent surveys to all the candidates. Not all candidates have responded, but any that have been received to date are on the SRC website.