The board of directors of the Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) voted at its October meeting not to hold a special election to replace District 4 Director Jim Powers, who submitted his resignation in September.
The cooperative said in a news release that, “In a unanimous vote taken during open session, the board chose to leave the seat vacant until the 2020 election cycle, at which point members interested in running may begin the process.”
“The 2020 election cycle actually begins in January, with final results announced in June,” Paul Graf, PEC board president and District 6 director, said. “Next year, elections will be held for directors in Districts 2 and 3; those seats are currently held by Emily Pataki and Randy Klaus, respectively. At that same time, there will be a special election to fill the District 4 vacancy. The board believes this is the best course of action to help minimize costs and allow PEC’s members to choose from a field of qualified candidates.”
District 4 includes a wide swath of Hays County which includes Dripping Springs.
Powers, who resigned under a cloud of conflict of interest, had first been elected to the board in 2016 and won re-election in June of this year.
His resignation left the board with three choices for filling the vacancy: appoint someone to fill the seat, hold a special election or leave the seat vacant until next year.
The PEC board will continue to operate with six members until the June 2020 election.
PEC directors are elected from single-member districts, but each director is responsible to the entire PEC membership.
