Board of Directors
Great Lakes Energy is an electric cooperative, which is a democratic organization controlled by a board of directors. The board is made up of members who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions, and are chosen by YOU— our members.
Counties and directors by district are:
The Process
Directors are elected to three-year terms by the membership according to district. GLE members in three districts designated each year will elect one candidate from within their district to fill three positions on the board annually. Each member of Great Lakes Energy has one vote (one membership, one vote) in the election for their particular district. The election results are announced each year at the annual business meeting held in August.
Board meetings are held 10 times a year. Minutes, beginning with the March 2017 board meeting, are available by email. Please send your request to [email protected]. Prior to March 2017, minutes are available for review in our office. Call 888-485-2537, ext. 1387.
Great Lakes Energy is governed by a board of directors elected from and by the membership. Please read below for more details or to request an information packet on how you can become a candidate for the next election.
Q: How are Board members chosen?
A: Board members are elected by a mail-in ballot vote of co-op members in the district in which they are seeking election. These ballots will also include instructions on how members can vote online.
Q: What is the time commitment?
A: Ten to 12 board meetings are held per year during daytime business hours in either Boyne City or Cadillac, MI. Board members may also be required to attend committee meetings and are encouraged to attend conferences both in-state and out of state. Board members are paid a per diem for meetings.
Q: When are Board members elected?
A: Board members are elected annually by ballots, mailed with the July/August issue of the cooperative’s magazine, Michigan Country Lines. The results are announced at the GLE annual business meeting in August. New board members are seated immediately following the annual business meeting and should plan to attend this meeting.Â
Q: How can a co-op member become a candidate for election to the Board of Directors?
A: Full-time residential members are eligible. All candidates are nominated by petition in accordance with the co-op’s bylaws. To have a candidate nominated by petition, at least 50 GLE members residing in the district in which the candidate is running must provide the necessary information on the petition form and sign it. All petitions must be signed no more than ninety (90) days before they are submitted to GLE. Signatures that are obtained more than ninety (90) days before the petition is submitted will not be counted. The circulator of the petition must also provide the necessary information and sign each petition. The candidate must also read and sign the Affidavit of Qualifications and submit it with the completed petition forms.
To request a petition, please contact us at [email protected] or call 888-485-2537, ext. 1387.
Candidates should refer to the cooperative bylaws for more information.
Q: What are the qualifications to be a director?
A: In accordance with the co-op’s bylaws, a member must meet these qualifications:
Each director shall, at all times, be a member in good standing of the Cooperative and maintain his/her primary residence in the Cooperative’s service area, shall have the legal capacity to enter into a contract, and may not be in any way employed by or financially interested in a competing enterprise or a business selling electric energy or supplies to the Cooperative, or of a business primarily engaged in selling electrical appliances, fixtures or supplies to the members of the Cooperative, nor shall they be an employee of the Cooperative. No person shall be eligible to become or remain a director while an employee of the Cooperative, or a wholly owned affiliate of the Cooperative. Except for those specific situations existing on the date these Bylaws are adopted, no person shall be eligible to be a candidate or shall hold office as a director who has a close relative who is an employee of the Cooperative or a wholly owned affiliate of the Cooperative. No Director shall be employed by the Cooperative, or a wholly owned affiliate of the Cooperative, within one (1) year of the expiration or termination of such Director’s term.
Q: What are the board districts and when is the next election for board seats?
- District No. 1: Emmet County (2024)
- District No. 2: Charlevoix and Cheboygan counties (2024)
- District No. 3: Antrim County (2026)
- District No. 4: Crawford, Montmorency, Oscoda, and Otsego counties (2026)
- District No. 5: Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Manistee, Missaukee, and Wexford counties (2026)
- District No. 6: Lake and Mason counties (2025)
- District No. 7: Muskegon and Oceana counties (2024)
- District No. 8: Clare, Mecosta, Newaygo, and Osceola counties (2025)
- District No. 9: Allegan, Barry, Kent, Montcalm, and Ottawa counties (2025)
