Among five candidates gaining endorsements for the March 31 director elections are, from left, Kelly Bodner, area 3; Bryan Boyd, area 8; and Sheri Wilburn, area 9.
Special to the MDJ
Special to the MDJ
The five endorsed candidates are: Area 2, Rudy Underwood; Area 3, Kelly Bodner; Area 4, David McClellan; Area 8, Bryan Boyd; and Area 9, Sheri Wilburn. One more session is set for Tuesday night for Area 5, which has 11 candidates.
This past week, Cobb EMC CEO Chip Nelson and several Cobb EMC employees who are also members of the electric cooperative turned out at the two meetings, leading some skeptics to believe the vetting sessions are being stacked in favor of management-approved director candidates.
“I believe what happened is the same shenanigans they were doing at their old annual meetings to elect their own slate,” said Eric Broadwell, a candidate in Area 9 who did not win the group’s endorsement. He estimated there were 75 to 80 employees at Thursday night’s meeting, which was held at Butch Thompson’s office in Kennesaw. “Employees should be able to participate, but I don’t know if executive management should be there, because they’re basically selecting their boss.”
Nelson said that is not correct.
“We have about 170 employees who are also members, but we had only 30 employees there (Thursday) night, best I could tell, and we understand there were about 40 employees there Tuesday night,” Nelson said. “All members of the EMC have a right to be there, and several weeks ago I called and asked the Owners Association people if it was OK if our employees come and vote, and they said yes.”
Company executives forwarded to all employees an email from the Owners Association giving dates and locations for the meetings, Nelson said, though he insisted that none of the employee-members attended the meeting while on company time.
As for his vetting votes, Nelson said he doesn’t look at it as though he’s choosing his boss.
“I look at it as what’s best for the members of the co-op,” he said. “The members need to look at the candidates as individuals, and they ought to look for the best ones they think should do the job. If they strongly feel there should be someone else, they should vote for that person.”
Tripper Sharp is one of the 11 candidates who will vie for the group’s endorsement on Tuesday night, and he is also one of the plaintiffs that brought the 2007 derivative lawsuit that has transformed the management of the utility. The Owners Association was originally formed by the plaintiffs to the suit.
“It appears to me that the CEOA has been hijacked by the management of Cobb EMC,” Sharp said, adding that he’s not surprised. “They are so desperate to keep the status quo.”
Sharp said that on Tuesday night, about 20 people were turned away from voting in the first area because they arrived late. Once vetting in an area began, no more ballots were given out. Also, members could not cast their ballots until after hearing all the candidates in an area.
“I think the CEOA endorsement now is simply the management’s stamp of approval,” Sharp said. “You can’t tell me that when you have people who depend on EMC for their livelihood, they’re not going to be motivated to vote a certain way.”
Dianne Brackin, another one of the plaintiffs, agreed.
“It’s very obvious there were numerous employees there. People had just come in from working, and others were staying there a long time with crying children,” Brackin said. “I can’t believe they were there by their own volition.”
Still, when asked if the Owners Association had been hijacked, Butch Thompson, who was part of the plaintiff group and hosted the vetting meetings at his construction company’s offices, said “absolutely not.”
“EMC employees have more at stake right now than anybody,” Thompson said. “The ballgame changed when none of the board members sought re-election. I’m not disappointed in any person who’s been endorsed so far. Several people had supporters there with them. Former Sheriff Bill Hutson had an entourage of people there.”
Hutson is a candidate in Area 3 but was not endorsed by the group.
“It’s important for the employees to be involved because their future’s at stake. If we’re going to move forward with a progressive EMC, it’s time for those folks to be recognized as the good employees that they are,” Thompson said. “Did they stack the deck? I just can’t see it.”
David Welden, one of the organizers of the Owners Association, said he kept an eye on the employee-members Thursday night “because I knew there was some complaining from people defeated at the previous vetting.”
“They were working diligently and treating it as highly important,” Welden said. “They were all there at the end.”
But his group did not announce various vote totals received by each candidate, only who got the most votes and thus the endorsement.
“This is not a political campaign, and we’re not going to allow the vote counts to be used to embarrass anyone,” he said.
Pat Henry, an EMC member who has paid close attention to the Cobb EMC saga over the years and attended nearly all of the Owners Association’s meetings, said she is disgusted with this week’s vetting and fears “we’ll never be rid of the corruption there.”
“I hope people understand it was rigged by the employees,” she said. “I think the endorsements will be a hindrance to getting good representation on the board, considering what I saw this week.”
Sheriff Neil Warren was one of those who showed up a few minutes late on Tuesday night and was not allowed to vote in Area 2, where his friend Charlie Jones was a candidate. Jones did not get the group’s endorsement.
“Was I mad? No. Disappointed? Yes, but more upset at myself,” he said. “I knew what the process was.”
But Warren said members should take the CEOA with a grain of salt.
“When you have 170,000 members, and this relatively small group ‘endorses’ someone, I think it’s misleading,” Warren said. “If 75 people voted, they ought to say ‘75 members voted to endorse.’ And if a percentage of those were employees, that ought to be disclosed.
“Is it in the best interests of EMC members, what went on Thursday night? I’m not sure that it is.”
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How petty and rude.
We, the members of Cobb EMC, need to be asking some very serious questions about whether we should be trusting the endorsement of the owners group this time around!!
My fear is that, with such a strong showing of EMC employees at these sessions, the process has being tainted by EMC management for their advantage. And, that the efforts of those who brought to light all the corruption amongst EMC management has been severely compromised.
To "Member and Employee" and your response to "irate EMC Member" on 3/11/12 when you admit the EMC Employees voted in block for Chip Nelson's candidates by stating "I was there to assure that people like you are not endorsed."
This combined with Alford's recent admission that they never intended to build Plant Washington, which Nelson the election fixer knew about all the time, is just priceless!!!!
The MDJ needs to now vett theses candidates as the CEOA is to biased now towards a continually corrupt management.
I'm shocked, yes shocked that you've had enough. However what I'm shocked about is that you are only now coming forth to sling mud at one of the hero's of the EMC battle. You should read former Congressman Fletcher Thompson's letter in the letter to the editor section today. Tripper stood up for all of us when we didn't know squat. He
and the 5 brave plantiff's took on Brown and all
the money Brown could get from EMC to fight them
for a long, long time. Don't trust him? Ha! I don't trust you, Had Enough!
Still, when asked if the Owners Association had been hijacked, Butch Thompson, who was part of the plaintiff group and hosted the vetting meetings at his construction company’s offices, said “absolutely not.”
“EMC employees have more at stake right now than anybody,” Thompson said. “The ballgame changed when none of the board members sought re-election. I’m not disappointed in any person who’s been endorsed so far. Several people had supporters there with them. Former Sheriff Bill Hutson had an entourage of people there.”
Hutson is a candidate in Area 3 but was not endorsed by the group.
“It’s important for the employees to be involved because their future’s at stake. If we’re going to move forward with a progressive EMC, it’s time for those folks to be recognized as the good employees that they are,” Thompson said. “Did they stack the deck? I just can’t see it.”
You are nothing more than a pawn of CobbEMC and Butch Thompson's good old boy gang.
"paid all the bills" for the past 6 years and just how do you know that huh? Maybe you wrote all the checks. As for me, I don't believe you for a minute. Stop commenting on things and in areas you know nothing about.
With every acidic article the MDJ runs and every person that buys it at face value, I add another fear into that and wonder to whom Cobb EMC is a vilain: The members or Tripper Sharp?
How dare the CEOA allow employees who are members to attend and then say they are stacking the deck. Do you even know what voting for these endorsements does?
Every single vote for these "endorsements" stacks the deck. Employees who are members have every rights to have their voice heard and add their card to the stack they feel deserves support.
With Dwight and the old board out of the way, CEOA and the MDJ have targeted employees.
Stop it - right now.
The people in customer service, meter reading, marketing, etc. had nothing to do with Dwight or the board and treating them as enemies is not fair to them. They just want to continue drawing a paycheck in economically uncertain times, but current events have some fearing for their jobs though they have done nothing wrong.
Bad enough that Tripper Sharp makes the unethical decision of running for board (yes, suing a company to remove management and then choosing late-game to run for management yourself AFTER saying you would not do so is unethical - can we say personal interest?) but now he's attacking employees who are members and want their voices heard.
I've got a concern: This is Tripper Sharp's arena, so why is he so afraid of the members of Cobb EMC who are employees when he claims he is trying to better the company for the sake of said members? Anyone thinking of voting for him may want to remember this. Do you want to vote for someone that says one thing, then does another? Do you want to vote for someone that becomes fearful of his own arena and starts attacking others? Do you want to vote for someone who had a significant say in the people now on the board and then decided to aim for his own spot?
I hope not. It reminds me of Dwight Brown and the people often called his chosen board members. Do you see a difference? I certainly don't. Many have feared he had a personal stake in this, now there is confirmation. He has a board that he wanted, so what is it he plans to do? What hasn't he told the people following him? Maybe it's nothing, may it's not. I'd want those types of answers before even considering giving him a vote.
He staged a coup and claimed it was only for the benefit of the members. Now he wants power. Why?
As for Pat Henry, I say this: You seek to exclude members because they are employees and thus create your own rigging.
I am sick of this. I am sick of the MDJ constantly slamming Cobb EMC and the employees. I am sick of the acid being spewed wherever possible.
Enough is enough. People have been drawn into this illusion that everything Cobb EMC is evil. I've seen disrespect at marketing events. Completely unprovoked and often uneducated. This to employees that just want a paycheck and to be able to hold their heads high with pride in their work. They were not included in the board's decisions, and were often ignored by the board. But CEOA, the MDJ and their followers have them afraid of mentioning where they work for fear of personal attack simply because of it.
Wake up! Stop letting Tripper Sharp and the rest tell you what to think! Vote for who YOU think is best, not for who the CEOA endorses!
The intentions of Sharp and the CEOA were good (as far as we know) and we can all agree Dwight Brown needed to go. But now things are way out of hand and many people are way out of line. The hatred born of this is staggering, especially in its misdirection. Now they want to have the same influence they just got rid of and start the attack when things don't go their way.
This is alarmingly similar to the previous group with Dwight Brown, but many people just don't seem to care anymore.
So desperate some are for water that you'll drink from any source, be it sewage or seawater, from a tap or from the toilet. And you'll never question the source the water came from.
Question now - later is too late.
Employees who are members have a huge stake in this: They are voting for their upper management AND the people that run the company that supplies their power.
You got a problem with them voting, I'll be more than happy to set you right!
CEOA supports EMC employees and management.
Sharp denigrates them, in the MDJ no less.
David W.
Co-coordinator, CEOA
I am a member of Cobb EMC. Boy, do you have a problem. Calm down now...
You seriously need to consider anger management classes.
To answer your question, yes I care about my Cobb EMC bill just like all other members do. I pay my bill just like you do, so that makes me an equal owner with the company. So where do you get off on talking to me like I am a nobody.
I am not sure what you meant about my patronage job??? You may have to explain that one.
Am I a no show, or show no work employee??? What the heck??
While you are in anger management classes you might want to consider shock therapy too.
I would be more than happy to address your questions if you could kindly tell me what you are talking about.
Duhhh!!!!!!
I give us an A.
Why can I say this...? Because you are so bad.
You have no facts, no smarts and each plant you
put down is so without knowledge. Also, please don't talk about thing you don't have a clue about or, first hand knowledge. After all, you are not a Board Member, a candidate, a plantiff,
or anyone close to the CEOA. Bummer!
His appeal to "special knowledge" is exactly because there is nothing to recommend him.
I disagree about the employees being honest, especially the administrative personnel. They were privilege to all correspondence and emails with Brown, Raydar, Alford, etc. There is whistleblower protection yet not ONE employee ever went to the GBI. I would never have compromised integrity and would be going to work wearing a wire.
Note to all. I sent an email to a new elected Board member (in private) and received an answer from Sam Kelly. He said the Board member would not have known the answer. Apparently he thinks we are all that stupid. Kelly and Nelson need to go.
you may be a nice but misguided person.
Oh, you just take Kelly's and Nelson's word. That's reassuring.
The working employees of Cobb EMC are a bright spot in all of this. They have continued to work hard and provide services in a timely and thoroughly professional manner. My hat is off to them and a heartfelt thanks as well.
I reiterate again that I want a youthful, energetic and dynamic group on the Board of Directors each one having PROVEN their long term commitment to change and benefit Cobb EMC owner/members.
Too much vitriol and too little wisdom here.
If we, the members, could help align desired behavior to management's pay we might get somewhere. But we don't get a voice most of the time.
However, I draw no distinction to the executives and the long-term upper management team. They knew what was going on, knew it was wrong and are now trying to get 'friendly' faces on the board to continue their past activities. They just hope to be as successfully greedy as Chip Nelson and Dwight Brown are.
Chip Nelson and Sam Kelly have made it equally plain from the beginning that status quo is what their agenda is. Hand picking the board successors is their way of winning.
CEOA's track record in picking board members is great. They don't deserve this nonsense.
After looking at his qualifications compared to the others in his area, I would be crying too! There were candidates that did not get the endorsement of CEOA, who appear better qualified than this Sharpe guy.