The race is on for seats on the La Plata Electric Association’s board of directors.
Four seats – each representing a different geographic part of the power cooperative’s service area – are up for election, and each has a contested race. The winning candidates will serve three-year terms.
Voting begins April 21, either online or by mail-in ballot. Members may also vote in person the day of the election at LPEA’s annual meeting on May 21.
The affordability and reliability of power – always top-of-mind issues for co-op members – are of heightened interest this year as LPEA approaches its planned April 2026 exit from Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association.
In District 1, Archuleta County, two-term incumbent and longtime energy wonk Holly Metzler is running for a third term against Dusty Mars, an Arboles engineer who ran unsuccessfully for a board seat last year.
In District 2 – which covers the southern and western parts of La Plata County – three candidates are vying for the seat: Greg Barber, a recently retired CPA who worked at a large private utility; former La Plata County Commissioner Brad Blake; and Terry Greiner, a senior sales executive for the database technology company Oracle.
Current District 2 Director Dan Huntington is not seeking reelection.
District 3 composes the city of Durango. There, retired Chevron executive and former chairman of the local Republican Party Dave Peters is challenging two-term incumbent Joe Lewandowski, a retired journalist and public information officer.
In District 4 – which includes the northern and eastern parts of La Plata County – two-term incumbent John Witchel, CEO of solar company King Energy, is facing a challenge from Lyle McKnight, founder of the Fun Center motorsports dealership and a former county commissioner candidate.
Seven of the nine candidates took questions during a virtual luncheon hosted by the La Plata County Democrats on Tuesday. Peters and McKnight did not attend.
In opening statements, all seven candidates emphasized that they would prioritize reliability and affordability of LPEA’s power supply. But what that means varied widely among the candidates.
The field is split on whether LPEA’s decision to leave Tri-State was a forward-thinking act that will lower costs and increase independence, or a shortsighted reaction made without adequate member input.
Metzler, Greiner, Lewandowski and Witchel all said they are firmly in favor of the exit from Tri-State.
Both Witchel and Lewandowski noted that Tri-State is likely to raise rates to offset revenue losses stemming from the exit of member co-ops.
“They’re borrowing an enormous amount of money to try and stay afloat,” Witchel said.
Barber said he “couldn’t second guess” the board’s decision but would hold LPEA’s management accountable for promises of lower costs, greater use of local power and building up the co-op’s portfolio of renewable energy.
“It remains to be seen,” whether the exit was the right call, Blake said, noting that some people feel there was a lack of transparency around the buyout.
Mars said he doesn’t know enough of the details of the exit because of what he described as a lack of transparency.
Transparency has become a recurring talking point each election cycle.
Witchel defended LPEA, saying, “This whole idea that we’re not being transparent is a total false narrative.”
Common Sense LPEA, a right-leaning organization with unclear backers, is advocating to reverse the Tri-State exit, calling it an “insanely expensive blunder.” The group has endorsed Mars, Blake, Peters and McKnight.
All candidates indicated they support pursuing a diverse mix of power sources, although support for utility-scale solar on the landscape in particular varied.
Individual candidate statements, which were capped at 250 words, can be found on LPEA’s website.
Ballots will be mailed to members by April 21 and must be returned by 4 p.m. May 20. Paper ballots may be returned by mail or deposited at 24-hour drop boxes located at 45 Stewart St. in Durango or 603 South Eighth St. in Pagosa Springs. Members may also vote online starting April 21 through the SmartHub portal where bills can also be paid.
Election results will be confirmed at LPEA’s annual meeting on May 21. The meeting will be held at the LPEA Durango office from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. RSVP online at lpea.coop/annual-meeting.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
