KIUC Missing the Point

SUBHEAD:The verification of “unique, valid signatures” to “outside counsel,” deepens the adversarial situation. By Tek Nickerson on 8 May 2011 in The Garden Island - (http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_8660e9fc-794a-11e0-8700-001cc4c002e0.html) Image above: This "Them and Us" goes back a long way. From (http://www.islandbreath.org/2007Year/07-energy/0707-03KIUCforum.html).

KIUC’s Board of Directors was petitioned by its members for a member vote to engage Free Flow Power and hold a special meeting to discuss the process. KIUC responds, “KIUC is working with its outside legal counsel to review the petitions, verify signatures, and certify the results. The cooperative will also begin planning for a special meeting so it is prepared should the petition be certified as having the required number of unique, valid signatures.”

With all due respect, does the Board of Directors realize it is not recognizing the spirit and intent of the petition? I think not!

By sending it for verification of “unique, valid signatures” to “outside counsel,” I feel has deepened the adversarial position with its frustrated members and certainly with me. It had the opportunity to say to its members, “OK, we got the spirit and intent of your message. We will assume there is enough sentiment to proceed without holding up the ballots and checking the chads!”

I want the KIUC Board of Directors to:

• rescind the instruction “to check the chads,”

• stop squandering our money on outside counsel and

• proceed to hold a member vote on the board’s decision to engage Free Flow Power and

• hold a special meeting of the membership to discuss that process.

And I want KIUC to treat the members like family! We ARE its Ohana! Make it official policy in its by-laws! Mahalo.

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