Fyi, an editorial from the Statesman on PEC board election now under way

Also, while the co-op has maintained high customer satisfaction, recent studies have shown that it is not as strong financially as thought, and the board may face difficult decisions about cutting costs and raising rates

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Editor's Note: The RoundUp does not often agree with editorial endorsements from the Austin American-Statesman. This editorial published Monday May 11, however, is not making any candidate endorsements in the very important June election for three seats on the PEC board of directors. It is simply an informative read. It is important to note that one of the open seats, for District 6, represents a big chunk of Hays County, including parts of Wimberley and Dripping Springs. Ballots are arriving in the mail from the PEC. Members can vote by mail, online or in person at the annual meeting of the PEC in Johnson City on June 20. Please take the time to vote.

* For a look at the PEC district map (pdf), go to this link: http://www.pec.coop/Documents/BODMap.pdf
* Information about all of the candidates is available at the co-op's Web site, www.pec.coop
* An independent PEC member-based source of information can be found at pec4u.org

From the Statesman, Monday May 11 edition: Three seats on the board of directors for PEC are up for election, and members have a chance to finish the job of reshaping this important utility. Voting has begun and continues to June 12.

The election of directors to the board of an electric co-operative is usually of a little consequence to most people, even its own members. But for the third year in a row, that is not the case at Pedernales Electric Cooperative Inc., based in Johnson City. Co-op members need to pay attention to this year's election, and voting has begun.

The co-op serves much of the Texas Hill Country, but members in just three counties - Travis, Williamson and Hays - make up 71 percent of the total vote.

Pedernales, the largest electric co-op in the nation, has undergone dramatic changes since 2007, when the first reform effort ran into a wall of self-serving election by-laws and secrecy thrown up by then-General Manager Bennie Fuelberg and a governing board he thoroughly dominated.

But a lawsuit filed by a few members of the co-op and coverage by the American-Statesman helped uncover and publicize the wasteful spending of co-op money on directors and top executives and, in some cases, their relatives. Poor business decisions had cost the co-op millions of dollars, but no one was being held accountable.

The lawsuit was settled and forced numerous reforms, but a criminal investigation by the Texas attorney general continues.

By the time last year's election was held, Fuelberg was gone and a new, reform-minded general manager, Juan Garza, had been installed. Several board directors up for re-election decided not to run again. But even after the election, four of the seven voting directors were (and remain) of the "old regime," which elected one of its own, R.B. Felps, as president. (The board has cut back on non-voting advisory directors.)

On this year's ballot are three voting director's seats. Two are held by old regime incumbents, Val Smith and Vi Cloud, who decided not to run again. The third is held by Patrick Cox, a reform director first elected last year and now running unopposed.

In short, after this election, only two old regime directors will still be on the board, Felps and O.C. Harmon.

What is needed next is a board that will ensure that the co-op's new openness cannot be quietly reversed by future directors as the years pass.

Also, while the co-op has maintained high customer satisfaction, recent studies have shown that it is not as strong financially as thought, and the board may face difficult decisions about cutting costs and raising rates.

There are four candidates for the District 1 seat and six for the District 6 seat; Cox is running alone for District 7. All co-op members can vote in all three races. Information about all of the candidates is available at the co-op's Web site, www.pec.coop.

Members can vote through June 12, either by mail or on the Internet. Winners will be announced at the annual meeting on June 20.

This is not a political election, so there are no parties, and this newspaper is not endorsing or opposing any candidate. We know of only one group, pec4u.org, which helped mount the challenge to the old regime, whose steering committee has endorsed a slate of candidates. Its choices can be found at its Internet site.

Whatever their choice, Pedernales co-op members should take the opportunity to be heard.