cobb emc election coverage
How does EMC move forward?
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Apr 02, 2012 | 22 22 comments | 7 7 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — The new directors of Cobb EMC now have the task of moving the electric membership cooperative forward and getting past the ugliness and distrust that grew out of the 2007 lawsuit. For g...
Elections mark end to plaintiff’s suit
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Apr 01, 2012 | 13 13 comments | 21 21 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — After nearly five years, the end is here for the plaintiffs who sued Cobb EMC in 2007. It was after the raucous annual meeting of the electric cooperative in 2007 that Bo Pounds, Butch ...
Four new Cobb EMC directors elected
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Apr 01, 2012 | 47 47 comments | 16 16 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — Four more seats on the Cobb EMC board of directors are now in new hands, and two more will be settled in unprecedented runoff elections on April 21. The winners are: Rudy Underwood, wh...
Court agrees to toss 1st indictment against EMC’s Brown
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Mar 31, 2012 | 7 7 comments | 6 6 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — The state Court of Appeals on Thursday affirmed throwing out the first criminal indictment against ex-Cobb EMC chief executive Dwight Brown because the court where the indictment was rea...
Controversy tinges EMC group’s vote vet sessions
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Mar 10, 2012 | 110 110 comments | 16 16 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — Dissension and controversy has erupted out of the Cobb EMC Owners Association meetings this week, during which five candidates were endorsed for the utility’s March 31 director elections...
Two EMC directors won't seek reelection
by From staff reports
Feb 16, 2012 | 10 10 comments | 6 6 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — The last two holdouts on the Cobb EMC board have announced they will not seek re-election on March 31. Johnny Gresham and Kay Anderson announced that they will step down when their terms...
7 of 9 on EMC board voted down coal plant
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Jan 26, 2012 | 17 17 comments | 13 13 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — Seven of the nine directors on Cobb EMC’s board voted Tuesday to end the utility’s interest in Plant Washington, though it remains unclear which two directors supported continuing the pr...
EMC backs out of plan to build coal-fired plant
by John Roach and Kim Isaza
jroach@mdjonline.com, newseditor@mdjonline.com
Jan 25, 2012 | 8 8 comments | 15 15 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — Cobb EMC’s board of directors voted Tuesday to stop financing its share in a consortium intending to build a huge coal-fired power plant known as Plant Washington. The vote came as lit...
Second criminal case against Brown to proceed; Barring appeal, former Cobb EMC chief will go to trial on 34 charges
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Jan 05, 2012 | 23 23 comments | 50 50 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — Superior Court Judge Robert E. Flournoy III has upheld the second criminal indictment charging former Cobb EMC head Dwight Brown with theft, racketeering and witness intimidation, among ...
Cobb EMC elections combined to March 31
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Dec 23, 2011 | 9 9 comments | 4 4 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — Cobb EMC members will elect directors during a single, combined meeting on March 31 at Piedmont Church, according to a consent agreement that Superior Court Judge Stephen Schuster signed...
Ex-EMC head trying to get charges tossed
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Dec 01, 2011 | 20 20 comments | 17 17 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — Dwight Brown’s legion of lawyers spent Wednesday morning trying to persuade Superior Court Judge Robert E. Flournoy III to again throw out a criminal indictment against the retired head ...
Don McKee: Cobb EMC directors should go extra lengths for real transparency
by Don McKee
Columnist
Nov 27, 2011 | 5 5 comments | 4 4 recommendations | email to a friend
Three newly elected Cobb EMC directors attended their first board meeting last week and joined in a move toward opening future meetings to co-op members. How this will work remains to be seen. The...
EMC members study how best to conduct open board meetings
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Nov 23, 2011 | 1 1 comments | 5 5 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — Three of the four newly elected members of the Cobb EMC board attended their first official meeting Tuesday afternoon, and it was a doozy: four full hours. According to EMC spokesman Sa...
Around Town: Almost There - Transformation of EMC board almost complete
by Otis Brumby, Bill Kinney, Joe Kirby
Around Town Columnists
Nov 15, 2011 | 1 1 comments | 7 7 recommendations | email to a friend
WHAT ONCE SEEMED LIKE a Herculean task is now well on its way toward being accomplished: the ouster of the Cobb EMC board of directors and its entrenched president/CEO Dwight Brown. Eight of the b...
Candidate concedes runoff for EMC seat
by John Roach
jroach@mdjonline.com
Nov 15, 2011 | 20 20 comments | 14 14 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — Cobb EMC reformers completed their clean sweep in the first round of elections for the Board of Directors on Monday when Area 7 incumbent RJ Patel conceded to Charles Swanson. “As I ref...
Cobb EMC directors to be elected today
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Nov 11, 2011 | 5 5 comments | 5 5 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — Today, customers who buy electricity from Cobb EMC will, for the first time in four years, have a say in who sits on the board of directors. But in a couple of crowded races, runoffs may...
Off-site parking available for Sat. Cobb EMC elections
by MDJ Staff
Nov 10, 2011 | 7 7 comments | 8 8 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — Cobb EMC is aiming to ease traffic woes for Saturday’s director elections, by running shuttle buses between Piedmont Church, where the vote will be held, and off-site parking at Daniell ...
Forums for EMC candidates set for this week
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Nov 06, 2011 | 6 6 comments | 11 11 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA –– Cobb EMC reform groups will host two forums this week for candidates seeking election to the board on Saturday. Cobb EMC Watch, a group headed by Tom Barksdale, will host a candidate’...
Around Town: Straight talk and a vote of confidence
by Otis Brumby, Bill Kinney and Joe Kirby
Around Town Columnists
Nov 04, 2011 | 6 6 comments | 9 9 recommendations | email to a friend
WITH RECORD FORECLOSURES, few housing starts, depressed home sales and local unemployment near 10 percent, the news that Home Depot will soon be creating 700 jobs at a new multi-million dollar call...
EMC vote set for Piedmont Church on Nov. 12
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Oct 23, 2011 | 14 14 comments | 12 12 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — The Nov. 12 elections for four seats on the Cobb EMC board will be held at the same location as the special meeting last month, Piedmont Church, 570 Piedmont Road, in Marietta, according...
Around Town: Effort to remake EMC board is edging closer to goal
by Otis Brumby, Bill Kinney and Joe Kirby
Around Town Columnists
Oct 21, 2011 | 11 11 comments | 6 6 recommendations | email to a friend
COBB EMC MEMBERS hoping to see all-new faces on the 10-member board of directors are halfway there. Sam Kelly, the utility’s senior vice president of public relations, announced this week that Davi...
Meet more Cobb EMC board candidates
Oct 17, 2011 | 16 16 comments | 9 9 recommendations | email to a friend
The Nov. 12 election for four seats on the Cobb EMC board is heating up. The deadline was 6 p.m. Wednesday for members in Areas 1, 6, 7 and 10 who want to seek seats. Last week, the Journal publish...
Around Town: Cobb EMC board already experiencing a ... changing of the guard
by Otis Brumby, Bill Kinney and Joe Kirby
Around Town Columnists
Oct 15, 2011 | 7 7 comments | 12 12 recommendations | email to a friend
NO ONE WILL EVER CONFUSE the Cobb EMC headquarters in Marietta with Buckingham Palace in London, but a changing of the guard clearly is under way in the boardroom of the embattled electric utility....
17 challengers sign up for EMC elections in Nov.
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Oct 13, 2011 | 8 8 comments | 7 7 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — While most of Cobb’s cities are gearing up for municipal elections on Nov. 8, a different kind of election — for four seats on the Cobb EMC board — is set for Nov. 12. Seventeen people p...
Meet the Cobb EMC board candidates
by MDJ staff
Oct 12, 2011 | 8 8 comments | 11 11 recommendations | email to a friend
The Journal asked a series of questions of the challenger candidates who petitioned by Tuesday for the Nov. 12 election. Not all candidates answered all questions. AREA 1 (DON BARNETT) John...
EMC owners aim to oust 10 directors
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Oct 09, 2011 | 21 21 comments | 14 14 recommendations | email to a friend
KENNESAW — The Cobb EMC Owners Association is taking a leading role in vetting candidates for the Cobb EMC board of directors, but intends to give its endorsement to only one candidate running for ...
Next step for EMC? ‘Members Bill of Rights’
Oct 09, 2011 | 3 3 comments | 3 3 recommendations | email to a friend
DEAR EDITOR: The newly appointed President and CEO of Cobb EMC, Chip Nelson, has proclaimed that under his administration a “new day” will exist. He states his policy will be to provide transpar...
Around Town: First round of EMC races are shaping up
by Otis Brumby, Bill Kinney and Joe Kirby
Around Town Columnists
Oct 08, 2011 | 8 8 comments | 9 9 recommendations | email to a friend
THIRTEEN CHALLENGERS HAVE EMERGED for the four seats on the Cobb EMC board that will be filled in the upcoming Nov. 12 election. Of course, the three incumbents now holding those seats will have so...
EMC drops $2M in Q1 of ’12
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Oct 04, 2011 | 27 27 comments | 15 15 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — The first-ever release of quarterly earnings for Cobb EMC shows the nonprofit electric utility lost just over $2 million for the first quarter of fiscal year 2012, which ended July 31. T...
Cobb EMC - Moves toward openness overdue, but welcome
Oct 02, 2011 | 6 6 comments | 11 11 recommendations | email to a friend
“Transparency” is the name of the game these days in corporate America — and at least some of those running embattled Cobb EMC in Marietta may be starting to get that message. If so, that will be a...
Barnett, Patel on board with CEO’s transparency plan
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Oct 02, 2011 | 21 21 comments | 12 12 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — On the same day that Cobb EMC president Chip Nelson rolled out new transparency initiatives, two directors of the nonprofit electric cooperative sat down with Journal editors to discuss ...
Don McKee: Finally, the curtain is opening on what’s going on inside Cobb EMC
by Don McKee
Columnist
Sep 30, 2011 | 7 7 comments | 12 12 recommendations | email to a friend
At long last, the curtain is beginning to open on what’s going on inside Cobb EMC, signaling the beginning of the end for holdover directors and their closed-door rule — thanks to pressure from tho...
Cobb EMC CEO reveals annual salary, two directors will not seek reelection
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Sep 28, 2011 | 37 37 comments | 32 32 recommendations | email to a friend
Two of the longest-serving directors of Cobb EMC will not seek re-election, the EMC’s new chief executive said Wednesday as he announced several steps at increasing transparency for the nonprofit e...
Around Town: EMC to capitulate? Or do directors even know they’ve been 'slabbed'?
by Otis Brumby, Bill Kinney and Joe Kirby
Around Town Columnists
Sep 24, 2011 | 12 12 comments | 16 16 recommendations | email to a friend
REPORTS WERE CIRCULATING around town Friday that the banged up and bruised up Cobb EMC board might finally be on the verge of running up the white flag in the face of a four-year-long revolt by hos...
Cobb EMC drops fight over former CEO’s pay; EMC attorney: Plaintiffs’ concerns now understood
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Sep 23, 2011 | 9 9 comments | 12 12 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — Cobb EMC lawyers on Thursday withdrew their motion fighting disclosure of how much embattled former CEO Dwight Brown was paid before he retired in February. “After discussions with the ...
EMC fights disclosure of Brown’s pay
by Kim Isaza
newseditor@mdjonline.com
Sep 21, 2011 | 19 19 comments | 16 16 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — Lawyers for Cobb EMC have asked Judge Stephen Schuster to reconsider his order requiring them to disclose how much Dwight Brown was paid between December 2008, when the lawsuit was settl...
Around Town: EMCers had say - But does utility’s board have last trick up its sleeve?
by Otis Brumby, Bill Kinney, Joe Kirby
Columnists
Sep 20, 2011 | 5 5 comments | 16 16 recommendations | email to a friend
REFORM-MINDED COBB EMC shareholders didn’t just repudiate the embattled board of directors at Saturday’s long-awaited members meeting, they “put a whuppin’” on the entrenched board and former CEO D...
Handling of Cobb EMC meeting raised questions
Sep 20, 2011 | 11 11 comments | 10 10 recommendations | email to a friend
DEAR EDITOR: There are some serious concerns and questions that need to be answered regarding the voting and ballets on Saturday at Piedmont Church. First of all, why did everyone have to includ...
Don McKee: Stunning victory for Cobb EMC members sets stage for house cleaning
Sep 19, 2011 | 11 11 comments | 12 12 recommendations | email to a friend
It was a stunning victory for the Cobb EMC reformers. They won in a landslide on the issue of mail-in voting, defeating the director-backed proposal 2,561 to 1,113 at Saturday’s special meeting o...
From the mouths of attendees
by Brandon Wilson
bwilson@mdjonline.com
Sep 17, 2011 | 11 11 comments | 17 17 recommendations | email to a friend
MARIETTA — Considering crowd reaction inside the meeting room and the steady hum of dissatisfaction in the halls, it is not surprising that Cobb EMC members on Saturday rejected mail-in ballots for...