Yampa Valley Electric Association consumer-members who have not yet voted for the two contested board of director races for the 2023 election cycle should be putting their ballots in the mail right away to be received by June 22 by the third-party ballot counter.

Members who do not vote by mail may submit their ballots in-person at the YVEA annual member meeting June 27. The annual meeting will open for registration at 3 p.m and starts at 3:30 p.m. at the YVEA office in Steamboat Springs.

All co-op members vote on each of the contested seats. To be valid, each ballot must be signed by the member whose name is on the label. Ballots are not accepted at any YVEA offices or drop boxes.

Challenger Lisa Rosintoski faces incumbent Tom Fox in District 6 that covers much of northern Routt County.

Challenger Ray DuBois faces incumbent Debbie Cook in District 2 for the middle stretch of Moffat County, including Sunbeam and Maybell.

Each of the four candidates was asked to submit a 300-word answer to why they are running for the YVEA board and what qualifications they have that support that interest. More biographical information on the candidates can be found online at YVEA.com/annual-meeting-election.

District 6 – Lisa Rosintoski

I am running for the YVEA Board of Directors for two reasons: 1) I want to share my 32 years of experience in the utility industry to make a positive difference in the communities I live and play in, and 2) I became a concerned cooperative member when I learned about eight rate increases in nine years. 

My utility background includes electric, broadband, natural gas, water, wastewater and stormwater services. My achievements as an executive leader include award-winning programs in energy and water conservation, launching the first non-voluntary time-of-use rate structure in the U.S., launching a broadband utility, creating a low-income program that surpassed targets, and tackling high-profile, multi-million dollar capital projects. I have participated on boards, including being the chairperson, and believe a board member must listen, facilitate conversations and co-create solutions that meet consumer expectations.

As a YVEA board member, my focus will be:

Tackling costs – In the past nine years, YVEA has had eight rate increases amounting to a 100% overall increase in the total utility bill, making YVEA the most expensive cooperative in Colorado. I’ve spearheaded electric rate analysis with public outreach, $148M+ budgets, and navigated complex electric regulations. I have participated in power purchase agreements to represent the consumer.

Local control that honors members’ values – In the spirit of local control, I’ll focus on how YVEA integrates energy services and solutions that aligns with local governments and organizations in the YVEA service territory — one size does not fit all.  I believe YVEA’s power purchase agreement should not limit YVEA’s ability to offer programs and services in the communities YVEA serves.

Optimal reliability – Electric reliability goals are a best practice that members can help determine and benefit from through capital improvement planning and infrastructure maintenance. YVEA should post their system reliability performance (SAIDI) for member awareness.

District 6 – Tom Fox

Tom Fox has lived in Routt County for the past 43 years. He is a highly successful businessman who established Fox Construction. Tom was the managing partner of Sunlight Subdivision.

Tom has served on the YVEA board for the past 12 years. His colleagues on the board voted him as their chairman for the past six years. In the past 12 years, Tom has shown strong, consistent and reliable leadership. Tom’s qualifications to serve are in his accomplishments:

Complete restructuring of upper management.

Complete modernization of new safer equipment, processes, and procedures. YVEA was years behind other co-ops in Colorado 12 years ago and now is considered one of Colorado’s leading co-ops. 

Systemwide installation of smart meters is better known as AMI Automatic Meter Infrastructure.

Shorter outage times, no more meter readers.

Launch of “Luminate” Broadband, a fiber network company delivering high-speed internet.

As of June 1, YVEA began a five-year ramp-out breaking ties with Excel Energy, the longtime power supplier of YVEA. This action was a unanimous decision by the YVEA Board of Directors. Tom has supported this action for over five years prior to June 1. 

There were many reasons for this change all revolving around you as members of the YVEA. We gained less volatility in monthly rates, namely in fuel-cost adjustments. One of the other significant changes comes in YVEA’s ability to take on more renewables for our members. We only had a 3% carve-out to offer our members. This low carve-out has plagued YVEA for many years. Some members accused the YVEA board of being anti-solar. Tom is happy to say we now have an additional 15% portfolio carve-out. Tom’s goal if re-elected is to promote the use of as many renewable projects as possible in the next three years.

District 2 – Ray DuBois

I am seeking a seat on the YVEA board of directors because I care about the people and the communities that our electric cooperative serves. As we progress to other sources for generating electricity, we need strong representation that will ensure our future energy decisions and offer even greater reliability, especially in our more rural areas, and that our power remains affordable and meets stringent air quality standards.

My proven leadership, skill set and commitment to our communities make me an ideal candidate to represent our co-op members. I have extensive and diverse board and council experience, including holding seats on several local, state and national boards. I have also held positions where I reported to boards and councils. Board seats I have held include those for Colorado Northwestern Community College; Grand Future Prevention Coalition; Craig Youth Soccer Association; Colorado Minerals Energy and Geology Advisory Board; Colorado Mining Association and the National Mining Association. Positions where I reported to boards and councils include President and General Manager for Trapper Mining Inc. and City Administrator for the City of Cripple Creek.

Other important qualifications include previous service on the YVEA board, registration in Colorado as a Professional Engineer and a Master of Business Administration. I ended my previous YVEA board service when I did not seek re-election in 2011 while working for eight years in the Pikes Peak Region. My understanding of the electric cooperative model is further supported by my many years working at Trapper Mine. Trapper is owned by four electric utility companies, including Tri-State Generation and Transmission, which is an electric cooperative.

As a board member, I will help ensure our co-op remains proactive and well managed. I will work collaboratively to ensure that current and future generations have access to reliable, affordable, flexible and clean electricity.

District 2 – Debbie Cook

My interest in seeking re-election to the Yampa Valley Electric Association Board of Directors stems from my desire to complete some of the projects the YVEA Board is currently undertaking, such as YVEA’s recent decision to break with Xcel Energy and transition to Guzman Energy as our wholesale power provider.

This transition away from Xcel will take five years to complete. This decision to change power providers should stabilize YVEA co-op members’ energy costs.

In my first term on the YVEA board, I have completed many energy classes both online and in person at many seminars. The latest was the Northwest Colorado Energy Summit held in Craig on June 2-3. The Joint Organizations Leading Transition (JOLT) presented many experts that spoke on the current happenings in energy.

Thank you for your support.