Don McKee
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 of members.
They won despite the all-out push by EMC directors and management to gain member support through letters, robo-calls and even PTA e-newsletters urging approval of the proposal.
It was a resounding rejection of the incumbent directors by members willing to stand in line for hours to cast their votes at the meeting held at Piedmont Church. As reform leader Butch Thompson put it, “I think people have got the message.”
To latecomers, the idea of voting down mail-in balloting seems inconsistent with broader membership participation. But this is not the normal electric membership co-op situation. Reform leaders do favor mail-in voting in the future — after there has been a fair chance to vote out the holdover directors who long ago lost the confidence of the members and deserve to lose their jobs.
Thompson made the point before the voting began. He said approval of mail-in voting would mean “these directors will stay in office from now on.” Also on point was EMC member Thomas Loy who told the crowd: “I think most of us would like the convenience of voting by mail, but with the current provision and lawyer language on the ballots, I think it would end up in unfair elections.”
Reformers feared that if mail-in voting was approved, incumbent directors would use the full resources of the EMC to campaign for re-election, putting challengers at a huge disadvantage. The campaigning by management for the mail-in vote bylaw amendment certainly confirmed those fears.
Most unfortunately, Superior Court Judge Stephen Schuster failed to limit campaign spending by incumbents, something he clearly should revisit before the first round of elections for directors Nov. 12.
This sorry saga of EMC directors and ex-CEO Dwight Brown playing piggybank with the co-op’s money and resources is all too reminiscent of the situation in Washington. Time and again, elected leaders, in particular President Obama and the Democrats in Congress, have thumbed their noses at the people by passing legislation opposed by a majority — national healthcare, for example — and pursuing policies opposed by a majority. It’s still galling to remember how then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi told House members they had to pass the bill to find out what was in it.
That kind of arrogance is what gave rise to the tea party movement. People across this country got fed up with elected officials ignoring them or running roughshod over their interests, concerns and needs.
Cobb EMC directors have done likewise. They could have gotten the message after a lawsuit was filed by members charging mismanagement and fraud — followed by the criminal indictment of their CEO.
They did not, have not and clearly will not. There is only one remedy, and the stage was set Saturday: Vote every one of them out of office.
dmckee9613@aol.com
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Please come in with a open mind to Chip Nelson and the current executive team. I believe he has not retired because he truly cares about this company and wants to restore its reputation. He has only been CEO a short time and is already making changes.
I know some here may criticize him for things done in recent months. But, remember no matter what he may say to the current board or recommend to them they have the final say. They are still his boss.
He was not Mr. Brown's choice for his replacement. There was a reason for that!
A million thanks for what you and all the employees of Cobb EMC do. This derivitive action was brought for you as much as for the membership. We appreciate you very much.
It must be miserable working in the conditions you have had to deal with for so long. Please be assured that new board member will improve everything for the workers. You will lose nothing. In fact, you should gain financially since huge sums will no longer be taken from you and the members.
Imagine what could have been done for the employees in salary, equipment, safety, etc. that was never done because of $100 million plus going into others' pockets and now at least $30 million in leagal fees. All of that will cease for the most part. Unfortunately, Cobb EMC will still be stuck with legal fees of those that are guilty. But in time, all monies will go back to you, the employees, and to the members.
Hang in there, employees. WE all support you and will not give up until justice is done.
I recently saw an angry email saying that those of us who want to see reform at Cobb EMC should mind our own business because we don't know the first thing about an electric distribution system. That's certainly true in my case, but that's not what all this is about.
I won't speak for others (though everyone I've worked with feels the same way) but I make a distinction between EMC employees and EMC executive leadership / Board of Directors. Dwight Brown, the Board, and at least some other EMC executives, legal counsel, and PR consultants are the culpable here.
I do agree with the commenter who mentioned that there is a dysfunctional system in play within the EMC, but that's not something you blame employees for, because they didn't create it. It has to be a difficult environment to walk into every day.
I'd encourage you not to listen to the rumors about takeovers and Georgia Power acquisitions. They're fear-based, and planted to make employees distrust the very people who are trying to help them. Take the time to educate yourself, and you'll see the truth of that.
But as one EMC uniformed (black shirt & khaki pants) told me Saturday at the meeting- "Do you believe everything the MDJ prints?" The MDJ is just one source to use for enlightenment into this ongoing greedy fraud that was started by Dwight Brown and pushed along by the curreent EMC Board. And yes, Mr. Patel, you maybe the newest member, BUT you have not said one word that I have heard or read, that showed you have ANY doubt whatsoever as to the legality and morality of the actions by D. Brown and the Board on which you serve.
Bill Clements is also very correct. I too am infuriated at the health ins., Life ins, and pension that the Board awarded themselves. And all this for a part time job. How dare they!! I could not work at ProCore (part of Brown's scheme) and receive ANY of that free. In fact at ProCore, the benefits offered FULL time employees were not as good as those offered the EMC employees. And ProCore employees do the vast majority of cutomer service work for new & current Cobb EMC customers. Many of the currect EMC Board members are weatlhy and have the means to pay for any of those benefits.
The EMC Board should never take any of the free benefits that they have given themselves. Clements is right about the monies that should be paid back- the Board and Brown should pay Cobb EMC back ALL the money they have spent on lawyers, Cobb Energy businesses, Brown's "consulting" fees, the meters that were taken by Cobb Energy and Cobb EMC was forced by the judge to buy back and health insurance benefits already used.
Then they should resign in mass!
We employees and worried about a new board coming in and taking over. Will we lose our pensions? Will We be sold to Georgia Power and all of us get fired? There are alot of things that can hurt us employees to where we had nothing to do with all of this.
I would like to say to the new board members that are elected which I know they read all of the comments to please REMEMBER that we do our job and we feel like we serve the members as the best as we can.
Great column Mr. McKee. I already have my broom ready to be used again. It was used on Saturday and is in good shape.
By the way, Roy Barnes tried to throw out the re-indictment of Brown based on the fact that the grand jury contained 5 members of the EMC. He called them "victims", which is an admission of guilt by Brown. Brown said everything he did was approved by the attorneys and the Board. So why have they not been indicted as well?