Democratize Carroll Electric Cooperative

08/04/2014

Has anyone who is on Carroll Electric's Do Not Spray list been sprayed anyhow? I'm working on an article about this for this week's Independent, so please let me know if you have been sprayed or know others who have been sprayed despite going through all those hoops to get on the do not spray list.

06/13/2013

Two recent letters to the editor in the Eureka Springs Independent about Carroll Electric's annual meeting.

Editor,

Congrats go to Rob Boaz, Carroll Electric’s CEO. He made the annual members’ meeting such a scary farce that a total of two out of 68,000 showed up for this year’s event. How he accomplished this was sheer genius. Early on he learned that people like to speak. If they can speak they show up. If they can’t, what’s the point? Then he sets up a security gauntlet that would impress the Secret Service.

Members go through three checkpoints, are searched for cell phones, and are eyed by hired security who have biceps the size of utility poles. He held the meeting at 10 a.m. on a Thursday before a holiday weekend (he’d like to have it on the Friday before the three-day weekend but fears board members wouldn’t show). Then he holds the meeting in a rather dank livestock ring complete with bleacher seating. Finally, he puts on a mind-numbing dog and pony show that no one would want to sit through again.

Carroll Electric’s Spinstress Nancy Plagge sees the .000029 attendance rate as a positive sign. She cites members’ pleasurable experiences weaving through the convoluted application process in order to avoid being sprayed with co-op poison. She left unsaid the giddiness we all feel over 12 percent higher electric bills or the happiness in our hearts that it only takes 25 years to receive our profit sharing checks.

Members are thrilled with the fortress being built in Berryville which will probably eat up any profit sharing for the next 25 years (but will probably get Mr. Boaz a large raise and a big new office when completed). And really, the posterior pain some members experienced in the Marcy Brewster screw job is all but gone. Yes, it’s all good.

The really good news is that next year maybe zero members will show. That means no need to hire Black Ops. Instead, Mr. Boaz could hire extras to act as members.

W. Schumaker

P.S. If you get an uncontrollable urge to attend a members’ meeting next year, I’m going to Crawford Electric co-op on I-44 near Cuba, Mo. I saw photos in their newsletter. It’s on a Saturday afternoon so working people can attend. They pitch a big white tent, people mill around with plates of food, there is live music. The result of a real election is announced. Two members, who each got 13 other members to sign a petition, were on the ballot. One won, one lost. How weird is that?

Editor,
Carroll Electric “members” meeting this year saw two of us in the bleachers at the fairgrounds arena. With 20 or so directors and employees behind the bars in the arena, I could not see too well, but could hear. Others waited outside, because their names were not on the billing.
There was a security presence, but not like in the past. They still checked our I.D.s and our purses. No wonder none of the other 80,000 or so “members” attended their own meeting!
We weren’t allowed to say anything, either. After repeating what they’d done for about 15 minutes, it was all over!
Spokeswoman Nancy Plagge explained that there had been “threats to employees” in the past and they would not tolerate it!
Directors were recycled again and the lone candidate “won.” If I weren’t so old, I’d be tempted to “jump through the hoops” to apply for the very well-paying job myself. Right now “members” have no voice. We really need some “new blood” on the Board of Directors, I think.
Mrs. Gene Lichti

10/04/2012

Please note that while Carroll Electric members aren't allowed to nominate someone to run for the board of directors, and are facing a nine percent rate hike, the CEO Rob Boaz now makes more than Pres. Obama. See this article recently:http://www.eurekaspringsindependent.com/content/images/PrintArchive/ESI_Vol_1_No_12.pdf

05/25/2012

Carroll Electric once again proved that it is more like a communist country than a democratically governed member owned cooperative when it held an "election" with only one candidate hand picked by the board on the ballot. Members weren't allowed to speak at the meeting, and many chose to not ever go into the meeting--instead, they held protest signs outside.

http://www.carrollconews.com/story/1853291.html

BERRYVILLE -- At its 75th annual meeting Thursday at the Carroll County Fair Grounds, Carroll Electric Cooperative Corp. reported on its annual board election and results of member surveys, as well as heard from its guest speaker on what new sources of electric power are coming available. Around 18 ...

03/14/2012

Dear Concerned Carroll Electric Members and Supporters:

Our case before the APSC is still pending and, as far as we know, the public may still make comments to the APSC by going here: http://www.apscservices.info/publiccomment.asp. Either scroll down the page to Docket Number 11-077-C or enter the number in the drop-down menu which says "Select Docket" and complete the comment form.

Please note that the the deadline date for Carroll Electric's No Spray Request is Thursday March 15th.

We have attached a link to Carroll Electric's Vegetation Management Plan. The No Spray Request can be found on page 22.

http://www.carrollecc.com/content.cfm?id=2087&download_id=4


Dane Schumacher [email protected] 870 545-3120
Randy Janowitz [email protected] 870 446-2176
Gordon Watkins [email protected] 870 446-5783

03/05/2012

Note: THe Natural State of America is a great documentary about the campaign to bring democracy to the Carroll Elec Cooperative and address concerns about widespread spraying of toxic herbicides that can harm wildlife and end up polluting our drinking water
WHAT: Seed Swap, Film Screenings, Live Music
Film Screenings: Seed Swap, directed by Zachariah McCannon 2:30-4 PM, Discussion with the film-maker and film participants to follow.
The Natural State of America, directed by Terrell Case, Corey Gattin, and Timothy Wistrand, 4:30-6:15 PM, Discussion and Q&A with film-makers and “characters.”
Live Music: Buck Bell and others TBA. Beginning at 6:30 PM; Mountain Sprout at 8 PM.

WHEN: March 10, 2012, Seed Swap: 10-2; Films: 2:30 and 4:30; Music: 6:30 and Mountain Sprout at 8 PM.
WHERE: Eureka Springs Library (Swap) and New Delhi, 2 N Main St, Eureka Springs, AR 72632

WHO: University of Central Arkansas Sociology Department ‘s CAAH! partnering with the Eureka Springs Library and any interested farmers and gardeners and the general public
WHY: To conserve the agricultural biodiversity of the Natural State, and to raise funds to allow CAAH! to continue growing out heirloom seeds and distributing them. Also, to raise awareness of conservation initiatives intended to keep the Natural State natural.
HOW IT WORKS: Anyone can bring seeds to swap or share. If you do not have seeds, you could bring envelopes or garden implements, anything to share or trade with other gardeners.
COST: None for the Seed Swap, Fundraiser Pre-Paid Costs: $5 for films, $12 for films and music, $10 for live music only. Fundraiser at the door: $7 films, $15 films and music, $12 music

Buy advance tickets at: https://community.uca.edu/sslpage.aspx?pid=394

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12/22/2011

http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/power-struggle/Content?oid=1985243

Carroll County Electric Cooperative Corporation has been plagued by recent controversy — an unflattering documentary, a series of member-initiated lawsuits and recently, on Dec. 5, a formal complaint lodged with the Arkansas Public Service Commission against the cooperative's latest bylaw chan...

12/14/2011

Carroll Electric Needs to Lighten Up
http://www.carrollconews.com/blogs/1250/entry/44927/

It's hard to know what's going on with Carroll Electric Cooperative, but they are really hunkering down these days. It has been sued by a couple of members representing a class of members concerned about the Co-op's use of herbicides and pesticides on or near rural farmland, and about the lack of tr...

11/04/2011

Occupy Carroll Electric!

11/03/2011

Great letter in the Lovely County Citizen this week! I'd suggest people follow up like this writer and post comments on the lawsuit filed with the public service commission.


Pay us, don't spray us

Editor,

I submitted a public comment to the Public Service Commission regarding the complaint filed against Carroll Electric Cooperative, and now you can too. At www.arkansas.gov/psc you can find the Public Comments link on the right side. You should be able to find docket number 11-077C now that the comments have been opened.

I was prompted to comment after biking the trails at Lake Leatherwood and becoming coated with herbicides at each trail crossing of a utility right-of-way. My tires effectively applied the herbicides to the trails and park lands as I continued the trail ride, while the coating on my legs ensured that the herbicides made it back to my home, probably both inside and outside of my body due the fresh lower-leg abrasion I acquired on the earliest stage of the ride.

Personally, I asked the commission to please be acutely aware of the longstanding and well-documented herbicide issue and the numerous attempts to communicate the health and safety concerns of both members and local residents to the ill-named "Cooperative." One might say that the highly-compensated director of CECC is spraying us with herbicides instead of paying wages to some of us 99 percenters to manually deal with the weeds.

Blake Potts

The Arkansas Public Service Commission (APSC) is a proactive, solutions oriented agency that maximizes customer value and enhances the economic environment of the state. This is done by ensuring safe, reliable and reasonably priced ...

11/03/2011

Karst 3-D diagram