There are two MEA Board seats up for election in April 2022, including one At-Large Director Seat (representing MEA's entire service territory) and the Eagle River District Seat (representing the areas of Eagle River north to Eklutna). Here are the 2022 Board Election Candidates:
Eagle River District
Lee Cruise
Mark Hamm (Incumbent)
Paul Park
Robert (Bob) Seitz
At-Large Seat
Christian Hartley
Arthur Keyes
*Please note that only members within the Eagle River District can vote for the district board seat. The At-Large Seat, which represents MEA's entire service territory, will be voted on by the entire membership. Election materials will be mailed to all members in late March, and members can also vote online using their SmartHub account when the election opens. Members will also vote on MEA's restated bylaws in the 2022 election, which can be reviewed below.
The following bylaw change recommendations were submitted by the member-led Bylaw Committee and approved by the MEA Board of Directors for inclusion on the 2022 MEA member election ballot. The proposed bylaw changes can be viewed in either the redlined changes document, or the clean version document below. Printed copies of the restated bylaws are also available at any MEA member office (Palmer, Wasilla, and Eagle River).
Pro/Con Statements – If you would like to propose either a pro or a con statement (400 word maximum) for the bylaw changes for consideration by the MEA Election Committee to appear in election materials, please submit your pro/con statement by email to pr@mea.coop
You can also send it by mail to:
Matanuska Electric Association
Attn: Jennifer Castro, PR
163 E Industrial Way
Palmer, Alaska
99645
Pro or Con statements must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 28,2022.
Bylaw Review
In the 2020 MEA election, members voted in an advisory vote for the Board and member-led Bylaw Committee to undertake a review of the bylaws to make them more readable and understandable. The Bylaw Committee and Board members worked with professional counsel Andy Leman to review MEA’s Bylaws, ensure they are current with new laws, and revise them so the bylaws are understandable and accessible to all co-op members. The proposed bylaw changes were submitted to the Board of Directors, and the Board approved the proposed bylaws to go before the vote of the membership in the 2022 election.
Members can now vote in the 2023 MEA Membership election. You can either vote online using your SmartHub account or mail in your ballot with the signed return envelope by April 24, 2023. Election packets were mailed out to members on March 30, 2023. Vote in your co-op election and be entered to win a YEAR of FREE electricity (up to 10,000 kWh's). Winner will be announced at the Annual Membership Meeting on April 25th at the Palmer Train Depot.
There are two MEA At-Large Board seats up for election in April 2023. Candidate applications were available in mid-December and were due by February 3. Candidate applications were reviewed and approved by the Election Committee.
Election materials with information on each candidate and ballots will be mailed to all MEA members at the end of March. Online candidate bios and voting will also be available for members. Voters may select up to two candidates on the ballot. Per MEA Board Resolution No. 2088 regarding staggered board seat terms to reduce significant yearly turnover, the At-Large Seat candidate with the most votes in this election will serve a 4-year term, and the candidate with the second amount of most votes will serve a 3-year term.
If you are an MEA member and your name is on the following list, our records show there was a problem with the signature on the ballot we received. Please contact MEA at 907-761-9300 or 907-689-9300 to resolve this issue. Mail-in and electronic ballots must be received not later than 5 p.m. Monday, April 24, 2023. Please check to see if you are on the disqualified ballots list (.pdf).
The following Bylaw change recommendations were recommended by the 2022 Bylaw Committee and approved by the MEA Board of Directors for inclusion on the 2023 MEA member election ballot. The proposed changes and associated explanations can be reviewed at this link. This information will also be published in the 2023 elections materials that will be mailed to all members at the end of March.
Pro/Con Statements – Bylaw Pro or Con statements were due by 5:00 pm on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. MEA did not receive any Bylaw pro or con statements.
