SWCE's 88th annual meeting

Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric members in attendance for the co-op's 88th annual meeting Tuesday, June 4, learned the results of the co-op's first-ever mail-in ballot for three director seats.

 

Steele-Waseca Cooperative Attorney Tricia Lancaster announced to the 461 registered members in attendance that a total of 1,408 mail-in ballots were received by Survey & Ballot Systems to track the results. Incumbent District I Director PJ Duchene of Faribault and incumbent District 5 Director Rodney D. Krell of Blooming Prairie were unopposed and re-elected to three-year terms. In District 3, Interim District 3 Director Neil R. Schlaak of New Richland was elected with 487 votes. The other candidates in District 3 included Anton H. Seykora of Ellendale, 391 votes; Dan M. Hansen of Ellendale, 321 votes and Ralph F. Miller of Owatonna with 164 votes.

 

With guests, the co-op's annual meeting had 972 in attendance. Steele-Waseca's 2023 Youth Tour Delegate Fred Klokonos of Lonsdale had a PowerPoint presentation on his experience last year in Washington, D.C. The co-op also recognized their 2024 Youth Tour Delegate Langston Richter of Faribault, who will be joining Minnesota's delegates to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Youth Tour in Washington, D.C., June 18-23.

 

Following the conclusion of the annual meeting, the co-op's board of directors met for their reorganizational meeting. The following officers were elected: Rodney Krell, president; PJ Duchene, vice president; Ronald D. Sommers, Northfield, secretary/treasurer; and Scott J. Carlson, Faribault, assistant secretary/treasurer.

 

Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric has just over 11,900 service locations in a nine-county area including: Blue Earth, Dodge, Faribault, Freeborn, Goodhue, LeSueur, Rice, Steele, and Waseca counties.