Log In


Reset Password
News Education Local News Nation & World New Mexico

LPEA board candidates stake positions

Four seats to be filled; ballots go out Friday

The election to fill four seats on the La Plata Electric Association board of directors this year finds a full slate of candidates – an incumbent and a challenger in three districts and two first-timers in a fourth district in which the incumbent retired.

LPEA members elect one board member annually from each district.

Ballots will be mailed by Friday, with results announced at the annual meeting May 16.

In District 1, which covers Archuleta County, incumbent Bob Formwalt is challenged by Nicholas Kazarinoff.

Formwalt, received a degree in business administration at Fort Lewis College, then worked 10 years in banking in Montana and Durango. He was an Archuleta County commissioner for 12 years, and he has served on numerous commissions and public bodies.

“A main emphasis of my tenure is to ensure the continued build-out of the transmission line from Bayfield to Pagosa Springs. Most importantly, I want to ensure that District 1 does not get pushed to the side by Districts 3 and 4 to solarize those districts at the cost of the remainder of the LPEA service area.”

Kazarinoff attended the University of Colorado and Meru University in Kenya, where he received a doctoral degree in neurophysiology of consciousness. He has operated an outfitter service and a 160-acre organic soybean and sweet corn farm. He also has been a hotelier and a technician for Dish Satellite.

“I would like to see that LPEA does an outstanding job of communications, including keeping all members more accurately informed,” Kazarinoff said. “As a co-op, we should provide safe, reliable electricity at the lowest reasonable cost, utilizing renewable resources while being environmentally responsible.”

In District 2, the south and west parts of La Plata County, Gregg Dubit and Kohler McInnis hope to replace Jerry McCaw, who chose not to run.

Dubit has a degree in forest-resource management from the University of New Hampshire and a license in secondary education from Fort Lewis College. He is an energy auditor and a solar consultant. He was director of the Four Corners Office for Energy Efficiency.

“Today’s shifting energy landscape offers new opportunities and challenges,” Dubit said. “I hope to ensure a stable future for our cooperative. I will encourage locally distributed electrical generation (hydro from irrigation ditches, and solar) to reduce bills and move toward greater energy independence.”

McInnis, who studied at Mesa State College and Western State College, retired as owner-operator of Kohler’s Printing and Copying after three decades. He remains active as a managing member of three investment companies. McInnis also is a volunteer in various community organizations.

“We must work together to keep LPEA at the top of its game. My more than 35 years of experience qualifies me to work with the board, staff and associated organizations to look at the big picture. I would encourage the association to promote responsible conservation and renewable energy, reducing our impact on the environment.”

In District 3, the city of Durango, incumbent Britt Bassett is challenged by Jim Wotkyns.

Bassett has a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Arizona. He has worked for Los Alamos National Laboratories and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. He has been a partner in three startup businesses and currently is a partner in California solar business.

“My top priorities are to continually strengthen the financial position of LPEA through risk reduction and cost containment while increasing the range of services to our members,” Bassett said. “I will continue to encourage LPEA to be a leader in embracing the opportunity that distributed energy provides.”

Wotkyns is a graduate of Colorado State University and a 30-year owner and partner in the Wells Group, a real estate brokerage. He has worked in the oil and gas business and is a commercial and residential landlord. He is a reserve officer for the Durango Police Department and a volunteer with La Plata Search and Rescue.

“I care about our cooperative and community, and I have the business experience to move the cooperative in a direction of high functioning and great representation,” Wotkyns said. The board needs to focus on bylaw compliance, build a code of ethics and maintain both price and reliability when discussing the delivery of electricity.”

In District 4, incumbent Heather Erb is challenged by Karen Barger.

Erb is a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Heritage House.

“I have been involved with energy since I received a scholarship to study renewable efforts in Europe in 2010,” Erb said. “I have worked with our board to address the shift in energy generation from carbon-based to renewable energy. I support efforts to assist low-income co-op members to reduce their utility bills and participate in savings through solar-energy assistance programs. The shift from carbon to renewable energy is happening with or without us. We must and can secure the benefits of this change to empower our community and keep our energy dollars local.”

Barger is the owner of Seasons Rotisserie & Grill, which acquires a majority of the food it serves within 60 miles of Durango. She has served on numerous boards of directors, most recently as the chairwoman of the Business Improvement District. She has been actively involved with first-response organizations after seeing her business leveled by fire in 2008.

“I have more than 22 years of experience as a business manager with a thorough understanding of budgeting, projections, payroll and benefits as well as marketing and staff development and training,” Barger said. “LPEA is a business and I am concerned with the direction the organization is heading, with board policies that require members to subsidize programs at a time when all our dollars are precarious.”

daler@durangoherald.com



Reader Comments