Members select Board candidates at district meetings

Co-op members gathered at three trustee district meetings this month to select candidates for the co-op’s Board of Trustees in Districts 1, 8 and 9.

Incumbents Carl Hagglund (District 1), Jo Ann R. Smith (District 8) and Karen Hastings (District 9) were all nominated without any qualified opposition.

Each year, three positions on the co-op’s nine-member Board of Trustees are up for election. Members within the respective districts select one or two members to be candidates, and then the entire membership votes for trustees. Voting for the seats up for election will take place by absentee ballot only this year. Members may request a ballot beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 18.

All members who vote by absentee ballot will be placed in a drawing contest to win a 2016 Ford Fusion from the co-op’s fleet or one of 42 statement credits. The results of the election will be announced on Clay Electric’s website on March 18 and at the Annual Meeting gathering of the members on Saturday, March 26.

Meet the candidates

Carl Hagglund of Keystone Heights was elected in 2013. He was president of the Board in 2019 and has also held the positions of vice president, treasurer and secretary. Carl holds the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Director Gold credential certification, the highest level of achievement in NRECA’s Director Certificate Programs. He has been a member of Clay Electric since 1974.

Jo Ann R. Smith of Wacahoota was elected in 2012. She was president of the Board in 2017 and has also held the positions of vice president, treasurer and secretary. Jo Ann holds NRECA’s Director Gold credential certification, the highest level of achievement in NRECA’s Director Certificate Programs. She is a lifelong Clay Electric member and served as assistant secretary for Marketing and Inspection Services of the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1989 to 1993.

Karen Hastings of Citra is currently secretary of the Board and has represented District 9 since 2015. She has also held the treasurer position and holds NRECA’s Director Gold credential certification, the highest level of achievement in NRECA’s Director Certificate Programs. Karen has been a member of Clay Electric since 1995 and is a retired realtor.

How to request a ballot

To request an absentee ballot, you will need to provide your account number associated with your membership. This account number begins with an asterisk (*) and can be found on your electric bill. Request a ballot by either:

Ballot deadlines

  • The last day to request a ballot is March 8 at 3 p.m.
  • Ballots must be received by 4 p.m. March 14 via U.S. mail in the return envelope provided to the designated address for the ballots to count.
  • Ballots will only be mailed to the member’s billing address. There will be no exceptions.
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