Platte Clay Electric Cooperative’s Board of Directors recently outlined the process it will follow for replacing West District Director Robert Ray, who passed away in December at the age of 79.
The cooperative will hold a special election to fill the vacancy at its annual meeting on May 9, giving Platte-Clay’s members the opportunity to democratically select Ray’s replacement on the Board of Directors. The position’s term will expire in May of 2020 when it will be up for election again.
“Bob was an excellent leader for the co-op and we want to continue his legacy of honorable service by making the process for selecting his replacement as fair and democratic as possible,” said Debi Koechner, President of Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative’s Board of Directors. “Democratic control by our membership is essential to the success of Platte-Clay and is the most responsible path forward under these circumstances.”
Ray, whose father and grandfather previously served as directors, brought extensive business experience with him to the board room and contributed greatly to complex budget, operations and management decisions for Platte-Clay.
In addition to the special election, three regularly scheduled elections will also be held at this year’s annual meeting – one for each of the cooperative’s three districts. The Board of Directors is comprised of three members from each its three districts, with one position in each district being up for election per year. This process ensures stability in leadership for the co-op.
The districts are broken down along county lines and consist of the following counties:
West District: Buchannan County and Platte County
North District: Dekalb County, Clinton County, Caldwell County
South District: Clay County, Ray County
Candidates interested in running for the vacant West District Director position or any of the other three positions should notify Platte-Clay’s Nominating Committee by emailing mail@pcec.coop or calling (816) 628-3121. The deadline for submitting a name for consideration is Feb. 21.