PEC elects officers, extends financial assistance

At its June meeting, the Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) Board of Directors elected officers for a oneyear term.

Board members elected Emily Pataki, district 2 director, to serve as board president and elected Amy Lea SJ Akers, district 7 director, to serve as vice president. The board also elected Milton Rister, district 1 director, as its secretary and treasurer. PEC’s board elects officers each year following the cooperative’s annual meeting, which took place June 19.

The 2020 election results were announced ahead of the meeting. PEC members in districts 2, 3, and 4 also reelected Emily Pataki, and elected Mark Ekrut and Travis Cox to serve on the cooperative’s board of directors.

PEC received the election results from Survey & Ballot Systems (SBS), a third-party administrator who handles the election ballots.

District 2 reelected Pataki to continue representing them, Ekrut will represent district 3, and Cox will represent district 4. Pataki has served the cooperative since 2014. Pataki and Ekrut will serve a threeyear term, and because the district 4 election was held to fill a vacancy, Cox will serve two years.

Pataki ran unopposed for reelection. Ekrut defeated Kari French in the District 3 race, while Cox emerged victorious from a sixcandidate District 4 race which also included Lee Leffingwell, Kip Averitt, Kathi Thomas, Joe Pool and Dan Strack.

There was a total of 17,570 votes cast across all districts according to the results from SBS. Additionally, members could voluntarily sign up for the Power of Change on this year’s ballot.

In addition, the board voted to extend financial assistance to members affected by COVID-19 until Nov. 1. At its April meeting, the PEC Board of Directors announced steps temporarily suspending disconnects for non-payment, and waiving late fees, collection fees, same day service fees, and deposits for eligible members who qualify for financial assistance.

“The needs of our membership remain our core focus at PEC. We want to provide them meaningful options during these difficult times,” said Emily Pataki, district 2 director and board president. “Supporting our members and communities exemplifies the cooperative spirit that drives PEC.”

If a member is experiencing financial hardship, PEC encourages them to contact them as soon as possible. Agents are standing by and are committed to finding a solution that works, including flexible payment options. Members can call PEC at 888-554-4732, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. to speak with an agent directly.

To meet safety and health concerns, the 2020 PEC annual meeting was closed to member and public attendance, and was held June 19 immediately before the June board of directors’ meeting. Members are encouraged to check pec.coop/annual-meeting to watch a video recording of the annual meeting.