Commentary
Members empowered in legislative process e
W
Chris Meyers General Manager, Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives
enter
55th State Leg- islature
the and
the 114th U.S.
Congress with many newly elected, fi rst-time represen- tatives. There is a new mix as these “freshmen” are co- mingled with the remaining well-established and tenured
members. It marks a time of change in terms of party leadership and political priorities. The bal- ance of power between parties almost always moves a little to the right, or a little to the left, causing each party to re-assess their strategies for the success of their objectives. Your electric cooperative makes it easy for you to keep up with the ever-changing faces in politics with a free “legislative app,” highlighted on the next page. I encourage you to take a few minutes to download and explore its interactive profi les. If you are not sure who your elected offi cials are, the map function provided in the app will help you to fi nd them. A touch of the fi nger on your location and you will know your legislative districts, elected offi cials, and have a direct link from your mobile device to their
offi ce phones and e-mails. Regardless of the individuals in seats that repre- sent us or the party in power, our non-partisan co- operative focus remains centered on affordable, reliable, and safe electricity. A wide range of issues surface and fade but we do our very best to “stay in our lane” when it comes to public policy. Electric cooperatives have always been politically active. Co-ops primarily serve rural and low-density areas; thus they have unique issues that are impor- tant in maintaining affordable electricity for their members. It’s through their members-owners that co-ops have been most effective when working with elected offi cials. Understandably, not everyone takes the time to
get closely familiar with every co-op issue. That’s okay; you can be assured your cooperative and your statewide association are working on your behalf. However, on critical issues of high impact, we will ask you to speak up for your co-op from time to time, and I hope that you will. As Thomas Jefferson once said, “We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the major- ity who participate.”
Enjoy the newest version of the legislative app and use it to help support your locally owned, managed, and operated cooperative.
For better results, fi nd your destination W
Jimmy Taylor President, Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives
hen you are taking a trip, you will have a more produc-
tive journey if you know your destination. This phi- losophy applies to various scenarios we face in life. What was the best steak you ever had? If you have to
think about it for more than 5 to 10 seconds, you might not have had a really good one. I can still remember a steak I had back in the mid ‘80s. Boy, it was good! It had that juicy, natural beef fl avor and I could almost cut it with my fork. I raise beef for a living. Most people call it ranch- ing, but what I’m actually trying to do is create a quality eating experience. That is my destination. It’s amazing how much I tweaked my daily rou-
tine after I defi ned my destination. Now every- thing we do on the ranch is to enhance the quality of our beef—from our herd health, to our mineral program, to our nutrition program and, fi nally, to our genetics. We’ve also incorporated new ideas like prenatal programing, DNA testing and low- stress handling. All of these processes combined will help create that “memorable” eating experi- ence for someone.
4
While it took me a few years to realize that I needed a destination or goal in my business, elec- tric cooperatives have had theirs from the begin- ning. Through tenets like the seven cooperative principles and mission statements, co-ops have always known their direction. Terms such as quality service, affordable cost, concern for community, and improving quality of life are found in several co-op mission statements.
If you look in your own community, I believe
you will fi nd co-op employees from across the state living by these words every day. You might catch them presenting a safety program at a school, help- ing with a community project or supporting a civic club. At the same time, these employees are the ones who ensure we have quality, reliable service. When severe weather hits, they are the people who go the extra mile to restore our electric power. Your local co-ops are involved in activities such as supporting rural fi re departments, participating in Operation Round-up programs and assisting rural water districts. Many of them also empower local youth through programs like Youth Tour, YouthPower Energy Camp and scholarships. I don’t know if our destination or goals can ever be fully attained, but through day-to-day efforts the journey is very productive.
Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives
Chris Meyers, General Manager Jimmy Taylor, President
Kendall Beck, Vice-President Gary McCune, Secretary Scott Copeland, Treasurer
Staff
Sid Sperry, Director of PR & Communications
sksperry@oaec.coop
Anna Politano, Editor
editor@ok-living.coop
Daniel Yates, Advertising Manager
dyates@ok-living.coop
Kirbi Mills, Offi ce Manager
kmills@oaec.coop
Hillary Barrow, Accountant/Offi ce Manager Asst.
hbarrow@oaec.coop
Hayley Leatherwood, Multimedia Specialist
hleatherwood@ok-living.coop
Alexis Mellons, Advertising Intern
adintern@ok-living.coop
Taryn Sanderson, Editorial Intern
intern@oaec.coop
Editorial, Advertising and General Offi ces
P.O. Box 54309, Oklahoma City, OK 73154-1309 Phone (405) 478-1455
Oklahoma Living online:
www.ok-living.coop Subscriptions
$3.12 per year for rural electric cooperative members.
$6.00 per year for non-members. 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: 312,314
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, Caddo, Canadian Valley,
Central Rural, Choctaw, Cimarron, Cookson Hills, Cotton, East Central Oklahoma, Harmon, Indian, KAMO Power, Kay, Kiamichi, Kiwash, 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.
WWW.OK-LIVING.COOP
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