The process of electing directors to SVEC’s board is underway for 2023.
The first order of business is lining up a slate of candidates for all members to vote on. These contenders must be SVEC members in good standing who submit a petition signed by at least 50 co-op account holders by 4 p.m. Monday, April 3.
This year, four seats on the board will appear on the ballot, one each from the following:
- The City of Winchester;
- Shenandoah County;
- Northern region; and
- Central region
Members residing in any of those locations have an opportunity to run for the board. The Northern region covers Clarke and Frederick counties, and the City of Winchester. The Central region covers Page, Shenandoah and Warren counties.
Petition Process
While 50 signatures are the minimum required for petition candidates, petitioners are encouraged to obtain additional names to ensure their document is certified. In some cases, for example, a husband and wife sign a petition when SVEC membership is only in the name of one member of the couple. If the co-op has no record of either the husband or wife on the electric account, his or her signature cannot be counted. The safest approach is to get many signatures above the 50 required.
A qualifications committee of co-op members will certify petitions by mid-April and confirm a candidate’s eligibility, including incumbent directors interested in pursuing re-election. Incumbents are not required to submit a petition.
Up to three petition candidates can run for a given board seat. If more than three petitioners seek to be on the ballot, the qualifications committee must select only three people as candidates. This excludes an incumbent, who, if interested in re-election, would be a fourth candidate in that case.
Directors for all seats are elected by all members, regardless of where a member lives, through mailed and online ballots, which will be sent around the third week of June. Election results are announced during SVEC’s annual meeting, scheduled to be held via telephone at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3.
Board Transition Process
Starting with the 2022 election, the board entered a transition period with the goal of having a nine-member board, with each member serving a three-year term and three offices up for election each year. The board currently has 10 directors, all serving four-year terms. The number of seats up for election each year varies.
At the conclusion of the transition period, there will be nine director offices. One each will come from Augusta, Frederick, Page, Rockingham and Shenandoah counties, and the City of Winchester. Additionally, one each will come from the Northern, Central and Southern regions. The Southern region office is filled by a member who resides in Augusta, Greene, Highland or Rockingham counties, the City of Staunton, or any county bordering Augusta (other than any county already mentioned).
For the 2023 election, the City of Winchester and Shenandoah County board seats will be four-year terms, while the Northern and Central region seats will be three-year terms.
To learn about the qualifications process, including how to receive a petition and the requirements for candidacy as a petition nominee, please visit svec.coop/election or contact Hannah Hutman at 540-437-4423.
Qualifications of a Board Member
Potential candidates for the board must be members of SVEC and bona fide residents of its service area. The cooperative's bylaws say that candidates may not, in any way, be employed by a competing enterprise or a business selling electric energy or supplies to the cooperative.
Read SVEC's Director Job Description.
2023 Qualifications Committee
- Tammara (Tammy) Canfield; 161 Forgotten Lane, Clear Brook, Va., 22624
- Jeff Germroth; 3922 Holsinger Road, Broadway, Va., 22815
- James M. Winkfield; 494 Varghese Drive, Strasburg, Va., 22657
This committee is the initial qualifications committee, serving a term running from January 2022 until the conclusion of the annual meeting in 2024.