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CO - OP LIVI NG One Member, One Vote


Second Cooperative Principle: Democratic Member Control


Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting their policies and making decisions. Men and women serving as elected repre- sentatives are accountable to the membership. In primary cooperatives, members have equal voting rights—one member, one vote—and cooperatives at other levels are organized in a democratic manner.


By Anna Politano C


ooperatives are owned by their consumer- members who are not only the end users of the services a cooperative provides, but are also actively involved in the cooperative’s governance. One of the privileges of a member-owner is the right to elect a cooperative board that represents the membership. In addition, member-adopted bylaws set forth their rights and responsibilities and lay out the guidelines that assure a democratic organization. “When you talk to members about the value of a co- operative, it strengthens your case to be able to say that your co-op has a transparent and open voting process in which all members get to partici- pate,” said Joe Harris, general manager of Kay Electric Coop- erative located in Blackwell, Okla.


Kay Electric’s board is comprised of nine members who represent the nine districts in the co-op’s service territory. Every year, the entire membership of Kay Electric Cooperative is encouraged to vote for three board seats at the cooperative’s Annual Meeting. This it how it works: each year three of the districts select two candidates from those districts to be on the ballot at the Annual Meeting where the entire Kay Electric membership is asked to vote. As a result—at the end of a three-year rotation—every district will have provided at least two nominations.


According to Kay Electric’s Board President Max Hohmann, most of the time the incumbent director is re-nominated and the district selects another nomi-


Editor’s Note: This is the second story in a series highlighting the Seven Cooperative Principles as a celebration of the International Year of Cooperatives.


nee. The member-elected board is charged with the responsibilities of setting policies and overseeing the cooperative’s general operations.


If viewing our digital edition, click here for a video on the impact cooperatives make in their communities. Access our digital edition at www.ok-living.coop


“As a board, we believe this is the most democratic way to conduct voting and election processes, so we stick with it,” said Hohmann who has been a bill-pay- ing member of Kay Electric since 1981 and a board member for seven years. “It’s very rewarding to serve in the board capacity. We do our best to adhere to the seven cooperative principles in all we do.” Harris, who has been Kay Electric’s manager since 1989 and who previously served as legislative director for the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives, said the board of the cooperative is well represented by the dis- tricts it serves and is always looking out for the good of the entire organization.


Kay Electric provides electricity to rural areas in the counties of Kay, Grant, Noble, Osage and Garfi eld, serving nearly 4,500 members. The cooperative owns and maintains approximately 5,700 meters on 2,600 miles of line. This year, Kay Electric, Oklahoma’s sec- ond electric cooperative—incorporated in 1937—is celebrating its 75th anniversary.


According to Hohmann, members of Kay Electric’s board feel honored to represent the entire co-op’s membership and enjoy living by a motto created by a former director: “You’re never going to get in trouble if you do what’s right.” To fi nd out more about democratic member con- trol and other cooperative principles, contact YOUR local electric cooperative. OL


Ask Willie!


To submit a question for Willie, visit www.ok-living. coop.


Dear Willie,


Please answer this question: Should you leave a window or door ajar when using a window air condi- tioner or heater? My neighbor says they need a “re- turn.” Windows and doors should be securely shut, right?


-Clorita Dear Clorita,


If your house is very “tight”—meaning it has heavy insulation, storm windows, and sealed leaks — preventing much outside air from getting


inside the house, then you will need to allow fresh air to come in. The best way to allow fresh air into a tight house is with a whole-house ventilation system. Generally, tightness is not common in older homes. If you have a window unit, your house is probably more than 40 years old.


So, you are correct. In an older home, while your window unit is running, windows and doors should be closed securely. Older homes do not need the ventilation that newer, tighter, energy- effi cient homes do.


In an older home, when you leave a window or door ajar, it allows fresh air to come in from the outside. That fresh air is full of contaminants, which mix with air that you have already treated with your heater or air conditioner. When a window unit is running, there needs to be as little air coming in as possible; otherwise, you are heating and cooling the outside air as well. OL


Stay cool, Willie


Source: Drabek and Hill, Inc. www.airconditioningoklahoma.com


Kay Electric Cooperative’s Board of Directors wait to be introduced at the co-op’s 74th Annual Meeting. Among the KEC Board of Directors are three candidates running for district trustee. Photo courtesy of Austin Partida/Kay Electric


APRIL 2012 5


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