OTEC Announces Nominations for the 2023 Board of Directors Election
By Mindy Gould on Wednesday, February 8th, 2023 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
Harney County-Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative (OTEC) is a private, non-profit electric
cooperative owned by the members it serves and is governed by a Board of Directors elected by the
membership and are accountable to the membership. Directors are elected to serve three-year terms.
This year, the nominating committee for Union County nominated the following individuals for the OTEC
Board of Director position No. 1, Union County:
Jeffry Zurbrick
The nominating committee for Baker County nominated the following individuals for the OTEC Board of
Director position No. 2, Baker County:
Aletha Bonebrake – Incumbent
The nominating committee for Baker County nominated the following individuals for the OTEC Board of
Director position No. 3, Harney County:
Robert Cargill – Incumbent
OTEC members in these counties are still eligible to run for this year’s Board election via petition. A
petition form may be requested by calling (541) 524-2874. Petitions are due by March 6, 2023.
The nominating committee members for Union County are Donna Beverage, Brock Eckstein, and Mary
West.
The nominating committee members for Baker County are Diana Brown, DeeDee Clarke, and Fred
Warner, Jr.
The nominating committee members for Harney County are Kirby Letham, Kevin Pryse, and Deanna
Thrall.
Election ballots will be mailed to OTEC member-owners at the beginning of April, which will include
candidate information. Results of the election will be announced at OTEC’s Annual Meeting on May 6.
Per Cooperative Bylaws, Article III, Section 4:
No less than 90 days before the annual meeting in which directors shall be elected, the Secretary
of the Cooperative shall cause to be posted at the Cooperative’s principle place of business a list
of the names of candidates selected by the nominating committee. Additional nominations may
be made by petition filed with the Secretary not less than 60 days before the annual meeting. A
petition shall contain the name of the candidate and the signatures of at least 50 members
qualified to vote, and a request that the name of the candidate be placed on the ballot. All
candidates so nominated must meet the director qualifications contained in Section 5 of this
Article. Members may not nominate a candidate for director from the floor at the annual
meeting.
About the cooperative
Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative (OTEC) is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperative that
serves nearly 60,000 residents in four counties in Eastern Oregon. Headquartered in Baker City, OTEC
has district offices in Burns, John Day, and La Grande.
