In April, Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, Inc. (AECI) announced that it needed three people to run for its board of directors. The cooperative was amazed with the results—10 members have expressed interest in serving on the board, seven of them for one position.
Seven co-op members are competing for the Lutsen seat formerly held by Alta McQuatters. McQuatters has reached the term limits for cooperative board members. Vying for her former seat in District 6 are Tom Fredeen, Tim Goettl, Don Goodell, Marland Hansen, Scott Harrison, Sam Parker and Paul Quinn.
Although not as hotly contested, there is also competition for the Gunflint Trail seat, formerly held by Les Edinger. Edinger, too, has reached the cooperative term limits and cannot run again. Two members are running for election to the District 3 board seat— Forrest Parsons and Daryl Popkes.
A third seat on the Arrowhead Electric board is up for election and incumbent Tom Spence of Schroeder is eligible for re-election. No one is challenging him for the District 7 – Tofte seat on the co-op board.
Arrowhead Electric Manager Don Stead said he had no comment as to why so many people are interested in serving on the board of directors this year, however he said, “We are glad to have community involvement.”
To try to find out why there is so much interest in serving on the Arrowhead Electric board of directors, the Cook County News-
Herald
contacted some of the candidates and asked them why they decided to run for the board. District 3 –
Gunflint Trail
Daryl Popkes:
“I have a strong business background, with degrees in accounting and computer science, and have created and/or managed several successful business ventures in the areas of high-tech distribution, retail furniture, and software development. My most important electric energy concerns are (in this order) reliability, affordability, and taking maximum advantage of American energy resources. I’m ambivalent about renewable energy. I’m doubtful about anthropogenic (man-made) global warming. I oppose “Cap and Trade.” I support AEC getting involved in bringing high-speed Internet services to the Cook County. I am very interested in serving my neighbors on the Gunflint Trail.”
Forrest Parsons:
Hungry Jack Resort is closed for the month of April and Owner Forrest Parsons was unavailable for comment.
District 6
– Lutse n
Tom Fredeen:
“Openings don’t come up very often and when I heard there was one, I thought it would be a way to contribute to the local community. I feel there may be a real economic boost to the county if some of the things Arrowhead are involved with come about.”
Asked about having six candidates in the running, Fredeen quipped, “The list of candidates is like a who’s who of Lutsen.”
Don Goodell:
“A friend asked me to run; he thought I’d be good at it. I’m a geologist and I’ve been involved with coal and nuclear power plant foundations. I have an interest in energy production, delivery, and clean up after.
About the six candidates, Goodell joked, “It only leaves two people in the district who aren’t running.”
Marland Hansen:
Hansen, a Lutsen Township Supervisor, said, “I think Arrowhead has been a good cooperative. I think they’ve been doing a good job, but I also think it’s time for new people and new ideas. I’d like to make sure things stay on track.”
Sam Parker:
Surveyor Parker recently served his last term on the Cook County Planning & Zoning Board because of term limits. “I guess I’ve been pretty involved in Cook County for a long time. Now that I’m off Planning & Zoning, I was looking for another way to help out. I thought I’d give it a try when the nominating committee called.”
Paul Quinn:
At press time, Quinn said he was still considering whether or not to accept the nominating committee invitation to run. “I’m considering running because someone asked me. I think it would be a good place to start for some version of conservative spending. If I do decide to run and if I was elected, I would make every effort to curtail expenditures instead of increasing spending.”
Scott Harrison,
owner of Lutsen Resort, said he was running for a few reasons. “I have an interest as I am a major customer—directly and indirectly—of Arrowhead. I have concerns about the fixed cost of electricity. I don’t whether than can or cannot be changed, but I would like to know more. I’m also interested in green alternatives and would like to see options that provide economic benefit. I have lots of board experience—I don’t know if that would be helpful here, but I do have a strong financial background.”
Of the seven candidates for the board, Harrison said, “It’s interesting that other years Arrowhead has had difficulty finding candidates and this year people are coming out of the woodwork.”
Tim Goettl,
co-owner of County Plumbing & Heating of Lutsen could not be reached for comment.
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