[Watchdogs] PEC election season opens [Jodi Lehman, Blanco County News]

[Jim Long]

Based on what Charles Taser says of his necessity to return to employment 
since he can't live on his $2,250+/month income as a board member, he seems 
to be telling  us he is no longer willing to devote the necessary amount of 
time and energy required of a board member.  If he had to spend up to 250 
hours in a month that included the Christmas holidays as an "Advisory" 
director, I'm sure more hours would be required if he won the election as a 
voting member?
Or is there a compentency problem? It's hard for me to consider supporting 
any candidate that tells me he doesn't have the willingness to devote the 
time required to properly fulfill his duties on the board.

It's also hard to believe that a seemingly intelligent man like Charles 
would not have known that he would suffer irreparable financial damage as a 
board member particularly since he campaigned on the promise of taking zero 
compensation for his board membership. I also think if he were serious about 
keeping this campaign promise he would have at least returned his first 
months compensation since at that juncture he would have had no idea of the 
time required or its consequences to his personal business?

Charles: did you even ask the accounting department to not put you on the 
payroll when you were first elected prior to even attending your first board 
meeting?




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Milton Hawkins" <mhawkins at tstar.net>
To: "'Dale Rodman'" <darodman at zeecon.com>; <watchdogs at pec4u.org>
Cc: "'Patrick Cox'" <patrickcox7 at gmail.com>; "'Tesar, Charles'" 
<charles.tesar at peci.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 6:57 PM
Subject: Re: [Watchdogs] PEC election season opens [Jodi Lehman,Blanco 
County News]


> Mr. Rodman,
>
> I don't know whether or not you've been to many Board meetings since the
> election in June, but if you have, as I have, you've seen for yourself how
> effective Charles Tesar has been in representing the interests of the
> member/owners.  He has pressed for reforms across the board.  He has been 
> an
> able and consistent advocate for transparency and openness.  He has pushed
> for full disclosure of past wrongdoing, and he has fought to limit the use
> of executive sessions to consider issues that members should hear debated.
>
> He joined Patrick Cox in trying to limit the compensation of directors, 
> and
> he has done all an advisory director could do to improve the operational
> efficiency of our cooperative.
>
> I think you would be proud of your vote for him if you took the time to
> consider his contributions on behalf of us member/owners.
>
> And when was the last time you heard of an elected official anywhere who
> aggressively advocated the abolition of his own position?  Charles Tesar 
> has
> done this, publicly and repeatedly, and I believe he deserves considerable
> credit of putting the welfare of the cooperative above his own.
>
> Vote for someone else if you like, but let's get all the facts, evaluate
> them fairly, and give credit where credit is due.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Milton
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dale Rodman [mailto:darodman at zeecon.com]
> Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 5:37 PM
> To: 'Tesar, Charles'; 'Milton Hawkins'; watchdogs at pec4u.org
> Cc: 'Patrick Cox'
> Subject: RE: [Watchdogs] PEC election season opens [Jodi Lehman,Blanco
> County News]
>
> Last year I met you at a couple of PEC meetings.  Based on that and your
> platform I voted for you for the advisory position.
>
> Issues like the PEC history and hidden organizations are like icebergs.
> Only 10% of the problem is visible and there is usually 90% unseen 
> problems
> below the surface, which sooner or later come to surface.  Many people 
> were
> well aware of these potential problems and the time required to work on
> them.
>
> Our present elected officials, across the board in all locations, federal,
> state and local, continue to fail to live up to their campaign promises.
> Once elected they quickly forget what they promised.  I remember you 
> stating
> you would not take compensation.  Last years campaign had many candidates,
> many of which were running for the money and the perks.  The platforms 
> were
> one of the few tools available to help identify these candidates.  The 
> large
> number of candidates made it difficult for voters to identify the good
> candidates.  Who can we trust to do what they promise to do?  Compensation
> was a huge issue last election.  If you were going to take it you should
> have told the voters that was your intent.
>
> I am sorry to hear about your economic situation and I thank you for the
> time spent but none of this changes the basic issues that voters trusted 
> you
> to do.  One was not to take compensation to do the job.  By taking the
> compensation and now trying to justify it, further destroys any trust you
> might have left.
>
> The next few years will continue to require a large number of hours of 
> work
> from our board members.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tesar, Charles [mailto:charles.tesar at peci.com]
> Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 10:35 AM
> To: Dale Rodman; 'Milton Hawkins'; watchdogs at pec4u.org
> Cc: 'Patrick Cox'
> Subject: RE: [Watchdogs] PEC election season opens [Jodi Lehman,Blanco
> County News]
>
> Mr. Rodman,
>
> Your point is correct; that, along with a host of other measures, was a
> campaign platform.
>
> The promise was based on the expectation that I would devote some 20-25
> hours a month on PEC business, and that such an effort should be part of 
> my
> community service. But I had no idea of how profound the problems, nor the
> amount of work that would be required to move PEC towards a more reformed
> and responsive organization. Since being elected in June, I have spent the
> better part of 120-150 hours a month dealing with issues of transparency,
> accountability, management problems, legislative issues and restoring
> integrity to board behavior. In December alone, I clocked more than 250
> hours with PEC issues.
>
> Although I lacked voting rights as an advisory member, I was in support of 
> a
> major reduction in Board pay, sponsored provisions for renewables and
> conservation, and was outspoken in the the need to eliminate the 10 
> advisory
> positions (including my own)--all of which has come to reality. I have 
> been
> especially aggressive in holding incumbent Board members to account for
> failures of fiduciary obligations and conflicts of interest.
>
> But the question you raise is about accepting pay for PEC work. I am
> actively employed as an international consultant, but have received no
> income save for the $1500 per month and $750 per PEC meeting since my
> election. In order to carry out my obligations to PEC, I have had to forgo 
> a
> number of work assignments, at no small loss of income. It is only in the
> last month that I've been able to return to my work abroad, although I 
> will
> continue my involvement with restoring integrity and better management
> practices to PEC until my advisory position expires in June.
>
> I do plan to seek election for the District 6 Board position.  My platform
> is simple:  represent the member owners on a reformed board that insists 
> on
> accountability, ethical behavior, efficient and effective management, and 
> a
> mix of energy options that advance renewables and conservation, but at the
> lowest possible cost to members.
>
> If this explanation fails to address your concerns, Mr. Rodman, I'm 
> certain
> that there will be other candidates you would prefer to support.
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Charles Tesar
> ________________________________________
> From: Dale Rodman [darodman at zeecon.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 9:04 PM
> To: 'Milton Hawkins'; watchdogs at pec4u.org
> Cc: 'Patrick Cox'; Tesar, Charles
> Subject: RE: [Watchdogs] PEC election season opens [Jodi Lehman,Blanco
> County News]
>
> Last year Charles Tesar ran on a platform that he would take no 
> compensation
> from the PEC.  Has he lived up to his campaign promise?
>
> ________________________________
> From: watchdogs-bounces at pec4u.org [mailto:watchdogs-bounces at pec4u.org] On
> Behalf Of Milton Hawkins
> Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 4:10 PM
> To: watchdogs at pec4u.org
> Cc: 'Patrick Cox'; Charles Tesar
> Subject: [Watchdogs] PEC election season opens [Jodi Lehman,Blanco County
> News]
>
> [Patrick Cox and Charles Tesar have proven themselves to be effective
> advocates for reform and deserve to be returned to the Board.  And 
> remember,
> as Ms. Lehman makes clear below, that each PEC member can vote for a
> candidate for each of the three open seats.  -  Milton]
>
> PEC election season
> opens<http://www.blancocountynews.com/news/article/11855>
> By Jodi Lehman
> February 11, 2009<http://www.blancocountynews.com/news/issue/2009-02-11>
>
> Three of the seven seats on the Pedernales Electric Cooperative Board of
> Directors are up for election this spring. On Monday, incumbent Director
> Patrick Cox of Wimberley announced he will seek re-election to the 
> District
> 7 seat.
>
> Since being elected last year to fill the unexpired District 7 term of
> former board president Bud Burnett encompassing the Kyle and Buda area, 
> Cox
> has been a leader in seeking reforms at PEC. Cox said he is "seeking
> reelection to further the achievements of the past year" and will 
> "continue
> efforts to eliminate unnecessary expense and wasteful practices while
> providing accountability and transparency."
>
> Besides District 7, positions up for election in 2009 are for District 1,
> encompassing the cities of Marble Falls, Burnet and Bertram, and District 
> 6,
> which includes part of the City of Blanco and a large area extending
> southeast from Blanco. District 1 incumbent Vi Cloud of Marble Falls and
> District 6 incumbent Val Smith of Blanco did not return calls asking about
> their plans to seek re-election. Smith has served on the PEC board since
> 1983 and Cloud has served as a director since 1994.
>
> The PEC Board of Directors amended the cooperative's bylaws last month to
> eliminate all advisory director positions as of June 2009. Dr. Charles 
> Tesar
> of Blanco was elected as advisory director from District 6 last year and
> championed the elimination of advisory director positions, including his
> own, since he viewed the non-voting positions as "at best ceremonial."
>
> In response to this reporter's inquiry on Monday, Tesar said he will run 
> for
> the District 6 director position. "If elected to the voting post, I will
> continue my aggressive posture in ferreting out wrong-doing, fostering
> improvements in PEC performance, and supporting innovations in energy
> procurement and conservation."
>
> Candidates must reside in the district they are running in, but voting 
> will
> be at-large again for this election cycle. Each PEC member will be able to
> cast one vote in each of the races, regardless of the number of meters 
> owned
> by the member. In past years, a member could cast a vote for each meter in
> co-op elections.
>
> PEC has made nomination-by-petition materials available on its web site,
> www.pec.coop, for members interested in running for a position on the
> utility's board of directors. Members may also call PEC toll-free at
> 1-888-554-4732 to have the petition materials mailed to them, or they can
> drop by any Pedernales Electric office to request the forms in person.
>
> The materials include instructions for submitting biographical 
> information,
> nomination requirements, a background verification authorization form,
> sheets for collecting member signatures and a map showing the recently
> revised director districts.
>
> PEC Communications Manager Anne Harvey explained that the district
> boundaries do not always coincide with city or county boundaries, and 
> often
> follow physical and geographic landmarks such as major roads and rivers.
> Part of the City of Blanco is in District 5 and part is in District 6.
> Harvey said members who wish to run for a director position and are
> uncertain of their district should call PEC for more information.
>
> Completed nomination petitions must be postmarked or received by PEC by
> April 6 for candidates to be eligible for the election, which will 
> conclude
> at the cooperative's June 20 annual membership meeting. Incumbent 
> directors
> seeking re-election are required to complete the petition process.
>
> "Last year's election demonstrated our desire to have open and democratic
> elections, and the participation from the membership was wonderful," said
> PEC General Manager Juan Garza. "Our commitment to democracy remains true
> for 2009, and we believe our nomination procedure for directors is one of
> the most open processes in the country."
>
> PEC plans to mail ballots to PEC members in May. As in 2008, PEC has hired
> Election Services Corporation, an independent election services provider, 
> to
> distribute, receive and tabulate ballots and handle other election 
> matters.
> PEC members will be able to vote for the candidates of their choosing by
> mail, online or in person at the annual meeting.
> Copyright 2009 Blanco County News
> E-mail: news at blanconews.com<mailto:news at blanconews.com>news at blanconews
> dot com . Phone: (830) 833-4812 . Fax: (830) 833-4246
>
> Milton Hawkins    830-868-9075
>
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