Elections are upon us! While America is just beginning to consider the national, state, and municipal elections coming in November, elections have already begun for Western Colorado’s rural electrical co-operatives!

You may recall electric co-ops began just under a century ago, as a means of bringing safe, affordable, and reliable electric power to rural areas. Today, more than 1.5 million Coloradans get their power from a co-op.

We are in the voting period for elections to the board of Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA), which provides power and high-speed internet to Montrose and Delta Counties. The election ends on June 6, and elections for Mesa County’s Grand Valley Power (GVP) begin shortly after that and will end at the GVP annual meeting on August 8.

Our Alliance and allied organizations distributed a questionnaire to board candidates in the DMEA race and has endorsed three candidates: Steve Metheny, Ryan Sedgeley, and Kevin Williams. (Co-op board positions are not considered “public office,” so organizations like Western Colorado Alliance can endorse candidates in these races.)

Steve Metheny’s formal education was in electrical engineering and business leadership, specific to power systems. He worked in many capacities at DMEA from 1981 until his retirement in 2018. Steve is passionate about Colorado’s West Slope and has been on the DMEA Board since November 2023.

Ryan Sedgeley lives in Montrose with his wife and dog. He holds a law degree from the University of Wyoming College of Law and is a Master of Arts in Environment and Natural Resources. He is currently co-chair of the Design Committee for the Development and Revitalization Team in Montrose and has worked closely with the board of directors of the Wyoming Outdoor Council. Ryan would like to see DMEA reach 100% renewable energy as quickly as possible.

And as a resident of Montrose for 40 years, Kevin Williams has led efforts to safeguard Western Slope water, ensure development pays its own way, and improve the public education system, just to name a few. As a DMEA board member, Kevin has supported making monthly board packets and financial reports available online for all members to see, participated in listening sessions across the DMEA service area, and backed a policy that DMEA shall be nonpartisan in all political matters.

If you are a member-owner of DMEA, we hope you will vote for one of these forward-thinking candidates!
The election ends on June 6.

You can get more information on the DMEA election (including instructions for how to vote) here.