Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative’s (SMECO) Board of Directors has appointed 10 members to the 2024 Nominating Committee scheduled to meet on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at SMECO’s headquarters in Hughesville.
The committee will review candidate applications for the five Board positions to be elected this year. Elections will be held to fill one position in Calvert/Anne Arundel counties, two positions in Charles County, and two positions in St. Mary’s County.
The 2024 Nominating Committee members follow:
- Calvert County: Kimberly Freeland, Prince Frederick; and Terence N. Gibson, Prince Frederick.
- Charles County: Joseph L. Gardiner Jr., La Plata; Edward Holland III, Waldorf; and William B. Young Jr., Waldorf.
- Prince George’s County: Charles E. Clagett, Accokeek; and Ernest H. Riess, Brandywine.
- St. Mary’s County: Edith M. Bell, Chaptico; George A. Brown, Loveville; and Catherine Brenda Coates, Lexington Park.
SMECO members interested in being nominated should complete a Board of Directors Candidate Application, which may be accessed and submitted online at smeco.coop/annualmeeting. To be reviewed by the Nominating Committee, completed candidate applications should be submitted online by 4 p.m., Friday, May 3, 2024.
In addition to nominations made by the committee, any 15 or more SMECO members acting together may make other nominations by petition. Members running by petition should complete and submit a Board of Directors Candidate Application by 4 p.m., Thursday, May 23, 2024. The application and candidate materials are located on SMECO’s website at smeco.coop/annualmeeting.
SMECO’s Annual Meeting will be held Wednesday, August 21, 2024; however, the election will be conducted by mail and online. Cooperative members will receive ballots in the mail. Members may vote online or return their completed ballots by mail prior to the Annual Meeting. Election results will be announced at the meeting, but no voting will occur on-site.
Selection of the Nominating Committee members is in compliance with SMECO’s bylaws. For more information regarding the committee, nominations, and qualifications of directors, refer to Article IV, Sections 4.02 and 4.03, of SMECO’s bylaws. Bylaws may be obtained from a SMECO office or online at www.smeco.coop.
SMECO – The Cooperative Difference
SMECO was incorporated in 1937 and is one of the 15 largest electric cooperatives in the United States with more than 170,000 member accounts in Charles County, St. Mary’s County, southern Prince George’s County, and most of Calvert County.
Electric cooperatives are shaped by the communities they serve, because co-ops are owned by their customers. Co-op members elect the men and women who serve on the Board of Directors. Members share the responsibility of ownership by financing the cooperative’s operations, but they also share its rewards.
At the end of each year, SMECO’s margins (profits) are allocated to members’ capital credit accounts. SMECO uses its profits to invest in new construction, system improvements, and facility upgrades. The Board of Directors regularly evaluates the financial condition of the co-op and determines when members will receive a refund. Since 1937, SMECO has refunded more than $128 million.
As a cooperative, SMECO will always put its members first and be responsive, reliable, and resourceful—the power you can count on.
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The SMECO 24/7 mobile app is available at www.smeco.coop/247
