August brought primary elections in some areas in Michigan, but also brought board elections for directors in three of GLE’s districts.
We know we can’t control legislation that’s written or passed for our country; but what we CAN control is giving ourselves a voice in legislative matters through the legislators we elect whom we entrust with representing our values, beliefs and ideals.
It’s the same with member-owned electric cooperatives. Our members don’t set rates or policies, but they get to elect the directors who govern such areas. GLE directors are residential co-op members in good standing who are willing to get involved and serve their fellow members. Besides voting for directors, you can nominate fellow co-op members to run for open board seats and even run to become a GLE director yourself.
Electric co-ops like GLE exist to serve their members. We do that better when our members are willing to get involved in their co-op. That doesn’t mean you have to run for a seat on our board of directors. We offer plenty of other simple ways you can get involved and influence the path GLE takes to serve you and the communities in which we live, work and play. Here are just some:
- Take a survey. We send out a number of different surveys each year to discover ways we can better serve you in areas of customer service, outage response, services such as tree trimming and construction, etc. Let us know what you think. We’re listening.
- Interact with us on social media. We’re on several channels, with Facebook being the most popular.
- Read Michigan Country Lines, PowerTalk bill insert, and e-newsletters we send to keep you current with any changes and happenings at your co-op.
- Enroll in the People Fund. Your small donation each month adds up to a lot of good done in our communities. You can make a difference for an average of around just 50 cents a month!
- Attend one of our free events, such as energy efficiency seminars in spring and fall.
- Post a Google review about GLE.
- Participate in the ACRE Co-op Owners for Political Action®program and join other involved co-op members in raising your voice and influencing the political process to promote legislation favorable to electric cooperatives—and your rates. Rural areas are underrepresented in our legislature. Funds provided to legislators by Co-op Owners for Political Action helps even the playing field and gives co-ops a legislative voice.
- Consider running as a candidate for the board seat in your district. If you are a leader and want to make a direct impact in your co-op, becoming a board member is a great opportunity.
We talk about the “cooperative difference” and that is you, our members. Your involvement shapes us into the type of electric provider you want us to be.
We encourage you to get involved and let your voice make a difference in your co-op.
