Commentary Largest Turnover of Oklahoma Legislators T
Chris Meyers General Manager, Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives
his month more than one third of Oklahoma’s leg- islators will begin
the fi rst session of the 56th Oklahoma Legislature as freshmen. It’s the biggest bumper crop of new leg- islators in our history. The turnover is largely the re-
sult of term limits; after 12 years they are done. In the House of Representatives, 19 members term limited, 11 opted not to run for re-election, and two incumbents were defeated in the primary election. Thirty-two of the 101 House members —or 32 percent—are brand new. In the Senate, 11 members term limited, nine opted not to run for re-election, and one was defeated in the primary election. Twenty-one of the 48 Senators—or 44 percent—are new. This large turnover presents both challenges and opportunities for electric cooperatives. Institutional knowledge is lost and that is truly a
concern for us and for leadership within the House and Senate. But new folks do bring fresh ideas and an eagerness to make a difference, which are positive factors. Most new legislators are only vaguely familiar with electric cooperatives and the unique role we play in powering rural Oklahoma. We stand ready to educate them about cooperatives, our chal- lenges, and the consequences of proposed legis- lation. That education and understanding stays with them beyond their terms in offi ce. The electric utility business is changing rapidly and state laws will need to be modifi ed from time to time. Changes are primarily driven by new and better technologies, effi ciency improvements, and the emergence of distributed energy resourc- es (DER). There are new and more stringent reg- ulations to comply with as well. It’s all very complicated and that is why we work closely with our legislators. We help them understand the full impact of proposed legislation. Be assured that we will work to protect our mission of maintain- ing safe, affordable and reliable power.
Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives Chris Meyers, General Manager Gary McCune, President
Scott Copeland, Vice-President Larry Hicks, Secretary Tim Smith, Treasurer
Staff
Sid Sperry, Director of PR & Communications
sksperry@oaec.coop
Anna Politano, Editor
editor@ok-living.coop
Hayley Leatherwood, Multimedia Specialist
hleatherwood@ok-living.coop
Shannen McCroskey, Marketing Specialist
smccroskey@ok-living.coop
Kirbi Mills, Director of Admin. Services
kmills@oaec.coop
Hillary Barrow, Admin. Services Assistant
hbarrow@oaec.coop
Amanda Lester, Editorial Intern
intern@oaec.coop
Editorial, Advertising and General Offi ces P.O. Box 54309, Oklahoma City, OK 73154 Phone (405) 478-1455
Oklahoma Living online:
www.ok-living.coop Subscriptions
$3.48 per year for rural electric cooperative members.
$7 per year for non-members. Addressing Challenges Ahead of Us I
Gary McCune President, Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives
pray that everyone had an enjoyable Christmas and New Year. With the hol- idays behind us, we are preparing for an exciting new year. We are aware of some challenges ahead of us, but there are other ones we have yet to recog-
nize. Nonetheless, we will face them head on this year with determination and persistence. As I write this editorial, we are preparing for the inauguration of our new president and his administration. Just like other transitions, there will be directions we are eager to engage and some that we are hesitant to embrace. As some- one keeps telling me, “Change looks different and different looks bad.” However, I realize just because it is different and we have no experience with it, does not necessarily mean that the bene- fi ts are not there. We just have not realized them at this time. The state of Oklahoma is not much different.
There are many challenges—some that have not been experienced before—that our own legislative assembly will need to address this year. Addressing new challenges in the same manner as the past will not solve the issues of the future. We must be willing to promote to our legislators a new direction that solves our problems. This means change. And, it will not always be to our personal advantage. We need to rise above those desires and see the overall picture of what we want our state and our nation to be. There will need to be negotiations and—yes—compromise. I don’t know when that word became so offensive. It is not a sacrifi ce of our principles and standards, but a consolidation of shared beliefs that derive a better decision that separately we could not obtain. Oklahoma and our nation have prospered and have been blessed many times over because we faced challenges and found solutions to over- come them. This time is no different. We have within us the ability to solve issues ahead of us. We just need to fi nd the courage, persistence and collaboration to fi nd the answers.
Cooperative Members: Report change of
address to your local rural electric cooperative. Non-Cooperative Members: Send address
changes to Oklahoma Living, P.O. Box 54309, Oklahoma City, OK 73154-1309.
Oklahoma Living (ISSN 1064-8968),
USPS 407-040, is published monthly for consumer-members of Oklahoma’s rural electric cooperatives by the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives, 2325 E. I-44 Service Road, P.O. Box 54309, Oklahoma City, OK 73154-1309.
Circulation this issue: 324,355
Periodical postage paid at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Association of Electric
Cooperatives is a statewide service organization for the following electric cooperatives: Alfalfa, Arkansas Valley, Canadian Valley, Central,
Choctaw, Cimarron, CKenergy, Cookson Hills, Cotton, East Central Oklahoma, Harmon, Indian, KAMO Power, Kay, Kiamichi, Lake Region, Northeast Oklahoma, Northfork, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Ozarks, People’s,
Red River Valley, Rural, Southeastern, Southwest Rural, Tri-County, Verdigris Valley, and Western Farmers Electric Cooperative.
4
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110
