While some of you might be ready to turn off politics for the summer (especially after such a nasty primary run-off,) please check to see if you reside in the Pedernales Electric Cooperative. If so, congratulations, you have another election this month. And you should pay attention; for years the PEC has been mired in controversy over transparency and environmental issues.
This may be the weirdest election process in Texas, so pay attention, here's how it works:
Members of the PEC should have received either a ballot in the snail mail or an email containing voting instructions. However, if you haven't already mailed in your paper ballot, it's really too late to do so and be sure your vote will be counted. (And according to a note on the PEC website, they've already really messed up the mailed out ballots.) You may still vote via the online process until June 13, OR in person on June 21 at the Annual PEC Board Meeting in Cedar Park.
This year PEC members will vote for directors in District 2 and District 3. Although these are nominally 'single member districts,' the bizarre PEC election process allows ALL members of the entire Co-op to vote in each district election. So, no matter where you reside in the PEC, you control who represents the other districts.
District 2 includes portions of Williamson County; some residents of Cedar Park, Leander, Georgetown, and Liberty Hill all reside in PEC District 2. The candidates for this District are Emily Pataki and William Boggs. Incumbent Boggs is part of the "Green Initiative" movement that continues to drive up costs and hurt PEC families. Pataki, a seventh-generation Texan, is a fiscally conservative businesswoman (and Mom) who is concerned about the direction of the PEC. Please check out the candidate forum and Emily Pataki's website, and take the time to vote this month.
I'm not as familiar with the candidates for District 3; there are four of them, which makes it hard to unify behind any particular candidate. They include Judy Pokorny, Kathryn Scanlon, Arnold LeVine, and Don Zimmerman. Zimmerman is a well-known fiscally conservative activist from Travis County.
This is one of those low-profile but high-impact elections that residents ignore at their own peril. Please take the time to make an informed vote.
Best bet: Vote IN PERSON at the Annual Meeting on June 21, 2014.
When: June 21, 2014, 8:00-10:30 AM
Where: Cedar Park High School, LISD South Performing Arts Center, 2150 Cypress Creek Road, Cedar Park, TX. Map.
