MEA NOMINEES ANSWER QUESTIONS
The annual membership meet
ing of the Matanuska Electric As
sociation wiE be held in the Cen
tral School gymnasium Saturday
evening, April 14. Eight area resi
dents have accepted nomination
to the board of directors, do fill
two terms that expire at this
meeting.
Nominees who agreed to have
their names placed on the ballot
are: Mrs. Harvey Hiber of the
Alpine district: R. B. Graham,
(incumbent) and James Hurley
of the Butte area: Mrs. Justine
Parks (incumbent) and Ray Hen
dricks of Chugiak: Ivan Branton
and Harold Thuma of Palmer:
and Waldo Erickson of WasiUa.
In an effort to reflect the can
didates’ beliefs on certain phas
es of MEA business and policies,
The Frontiersman submitted a
list of five questions to each
candidate, requesting that they
be returned so that the answers
could be printed in this week’s
issue of the Valley newspaper.
The following text is a copy of
the questions mailed to each can
didate:
1. Do you believe that MEA
should appropriate money for
power exploratory work outside
MEA Territory? If so, why?
2. Do you believe that MEA
should seek permission from REA
to equalize pow»r rales of busi
ness in the Urban area and rates
in the Rural Areas? (At the pres
ent time business rates in the ur
ban areas are higher than those
in the rural section).
3. Did you approve of MEA's
method of making $40,000 avail
able to the Central Alaska Power
Association (CAPA)? If so, Why?
4. Do you believe that seven
directors are necessary for a co
operative the size of MEA? If so,
Why?
5. What is your reason for
seeking election to the Board of
Directors of the Matanuska Elec
trie Association?
By referring to the above ques
tions by number, the following
text consists of replies received
from the candidates:
Waldo Erickson
1. No
2. Yes
3. No
4. No
5. So the Wasilla area will have
a representative
Harold Thuma
1 Certainly. When the wells of
Palmer proved inadequate, those
in authority hired an engineer to
-ell them where and how to ob
tain more water. I believe we are
expanding into a power deficit
and some capable person should
be hired to advise us conerning
other power potentialities.
2. I have never given this ques
tion any though. It seems though
that the first thing to do is in
quire why REA have a rate dif
ferential. Then I can decide
whose side to be on.
3. I believe that in organiza
tions of this kind, the board
should deliberate and then vote,
concerning gifts, loans and in
vestments. The treasurer should
then do as instructed by the
board.
4. The number of directors will
have very little effect on the ef
ficiency of government. However,
increasing the number will allow
a little more personal contact be
tween the consumers and the di
rectors.
5 It is news to me that I am
seeking election. Part of the nom
inating committee solicited per
mission to place my name on the
ballot. Observation indicates
that honor positions extract from
the individual a great deal of
though, time, and effort, which
could be utilized to advantage in
other ways. Hence if the people
decide that it is someone else’s
turn to serve, I shall be very
happy.
C. Ivan Branion
1. I do not believe it is the
busines of MEA to appropriate
money for power exploratory
work outside .MEA terirtory.
. a. The obligation for survey
work of this type has always been
vested by Congress in the U. S.
Corps of Engineers and in. more
recent years such work has been
accomplished also by the Bur
eau of Reclamation. Both agen
cies have operated within enabl
ing legislation approved by Con
gress and such investigations have
ben paid for with appropriated
money. It does not seem proper
to spend moneys collected for
power sales or borrowed from
R.E.A. for system construction, in
this manner.
2. It is my'feeling that power
rates should be the same for the
same class of consumer no mat
ter where he is located on the
power distribution system.
3. I do not approve the grant
of $40,000.00 to CAPA. In consid
ering the functions of MEA as an
agency for power distribution in
the Matanuska Valley, I cannot
see any business advantage to
belonging to CAPA. It is my feel
ing that any business can be
transacted directly with R.E.A.
in Washington. I doubt that
CAPA has any tangible assets to
consider as security for this am
ount of money
4. I believe that five directors
are sufficient for the direction of
the legitimate business of this co
operative. Working with seven
| directors would be more cumber
j some than working with five.
| 5. In seeking election it is my
| hope that I can truthfully repre
sent the wishes of the consumers
who make up this cooperative.
It is my feeling that certain ac
tions of the present board, such
as promoting the interests of
CAPA and lengthy attendance at
Stateside meetings do not repre
sent the wishes of th majority of
the power users. If extra profits
are available my wish would be
to stimulate greater use of elec
tricity by lowering the rate sch
edules.
James J. Hurley
1. The Board of Directors of
any power corporation have a
responsibility to plan for the fu
ture. If, after due consideration,
it appears to be the best interest
of the cooperative to invest funds
in exploring possibilities of ad
ditional power sources, I think
that they should do so whether
or not the exploration work is
within or without the particular
area covered by distribution. I do
believe that if such investments
amount to any considerable sum
it would be desirable to put the
natter before the membership be
fore acting.
2. The Rural Electrification Ad
ministration, as its name implies,
'a fundamentally an agency for
oaning money at low interest
~ates for the distribution of pow
er to rural areas. As long as the
MEA i? indebted to the REA,
rural rates will probably enjoy
an advantage over businesses in
urban areas. I have questioned
this policy for many years and
would like to see the rates equal
ized but do not know how that
can be accomplished.
3. At the present time I don’t
have enough factual information
upon which to give an answer to
this question. Generally speaking
it is covered in my answer to
question number one.
4. Generally speaking the larg
er the number of directors the
more difficult it is for a small
group to exert control. From this
standpoint seven directors would
seem desirable. On the other
hand the smaller the number of
directors that you have the more
efficiently you can operate. Tak
ing everything into consideration
I believe I would be in favor of
five directors. I am not too con
cerned one way or the other.
5. I have been asked for many
years if I would accept the nom
ination to the MEA board and
have always answered that I
would not until my term on the
school board had expired. Since
this objection is no longer valid
I have accepted the nomination.
I am not particularly seeking
election but I am offering myself
as a candidate, and if the mem
bership chooses to elect me I
shall do what I think is best for
the MEA.
Raymond O. Henricks
1. It is the duty of the Board
of Directors to do whatever is nec
essary to assure the MEA ample
supply of power at the least pos
sible cost. But, all appropriations
for work done outside of the MEA
territory should be done only
with the approval of the MEA
members.
2. I do not believe a business
should be penalized just because
of its location.
3. I answered this in question
No. 1 This should have been done
only upon the approval of the
MEA members.
4. No.
5. I have been in the power
field for the past 16 years. I feel
this experience should be of value
in making the MEA a sound, ec
onomical business venture for the
benefit of the MEA members.
]R. B. Graham
1. As a blanket statement I
wnll have to say no to this ques
tion (please refer to the answer
to question No. 3.)
2. Business rates in the urban
areas and the rural areas are the
same now (a farm or dairy is not
considered a business by the
courts). However I have always
believed that the small power
rates should be in line Arith the
farm and home rates and the
MEA board of directors is trying
to work out a lower small power
rate that will be acceptable to
R.E.A.
3. Yes. CA.F.A, is organized as
a generation and transmission
Co-op. The members are the
various R.E A. cooperatives and
most of the public power organ
izations in this area. It is com
mon and considered good prac
(Continued on Page 5)
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