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With a month of the new year now under our belts, we can see the hope of a healthier and happier year, we can expect new ideas on how to govern our country and our institutions, and we can take away lessons from our recent experiences regarding what worked and what did not.
Electric cooperatives, like most enduring institutions, are guided by principles and governed by people entrusted with the best interests of the enterprise. We may have taken for granted our ability to get together, discuss ideas, and elect leaders to guide our organizations — but we endured, we stuck to our principles and values, and we found new ways to meet our obligations to you, our consumer-members.
We can carry forward an appreciation for the importance of cooperation, collaboration, and compromise as the foundation for achievement and accomplishment. We have an opportunity to reflect on the changes that resulted in improvements, as well as the traditions that continue to hold value, and we can recognize that the way we’ve always done things may not be best — or even possible anymore.
We are certain that new government priorities will emerge this year, some of which will have the potential to directly affect our ability to provide a reliable and affordable supply of electricity to your home or business. Your electric cooperatives are actively engaged in fostering rapport with legislative officials, with the objective of representing the best interests of — and effecting the most favorable results for — you, our members.
Our story, “Collective voice,” provides a glimpse into the electric cooperative government affairs program, our advocacy efforts, and the benefits of legislative outreach to co-op members. We’ll also let you in on how you can get involved.
Through our participation, we can help honor Lincoln’s solemn oath that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Pat O'Loughlin is president and CEO of Ohio's Electric Cooperatives
