Wasco Electric Cooperative > Inside Ruralite > Meet Your Candidates

Meet Your Candidates

November 1, 2017

Three board of director positions are up for election at the 2017 annual meeting

District 1

MATHEW CLAUSEN, incumbent, lives east of Dufur near Boyd and is the fifth generation to operate his family’s wheat farm, which spans from Boyd to Center Ridge and includes both Clausen and Adkisson land.

Mathew attended Mathew Clausen Dufur grade school and The Dalles High School. He went to Oregon State University and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. From there he worked as an engineer at Freightliner in Portland for nine years before returning to farm in 2007.

While serving on the board for the past three years, Mathew has completed the Credentialed Cooperative Director series of classes and learned a great deal about current and upcoming issues facing the power industry and Wasco Electric. He would appreciate the opportunity to apply that knowledge and experience in serving another term.

District 2

RONALD HOLMES, incumbent, lives east of Kent with his wife, Linnea, and youngest daughter, Shayne. Two older daughters have graduated and live outside the area. They grow wheat and barley, run cattle and custom farm in Sherman County.

Ron grew up in Sherman County and attended Kent Grade School and Sherman High School. After high school, he attended Oregon State University and Blue Mountain Community College. He worked on farms in Moro and The Dalles before returning to the Kent area to farm on his own.

In addition to serving as president of Wasco Electric, Ron also serves as secretary/treasurer on the Northwest Public Power Association Board of Trustees for Oregon. He also serves on the budget committee for Sherman County School District and is the treasurer for Kent Baptist Church. He is a former director and past president of Mid-Columbia Producers.

Ron has completed the Credentialed Cooperative Director training, Board Leadership training and the Director Gold Certificate course through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. After serving three terms on the WEC board, Ron would like your vote to continue the WEC tradition of providing low-cost and reliable power to members.

STACY EAKIN was raised in Sherman County and graduated from Sherman High School in 1985. She attended Columbia Basin College and worked at UPS and her parents’ mini-mart in Hermiston.

Stacy returned to Sherman County in 1991 and married her husband Brad, raising two Stacy Eakin boys on the Eakin family farm near Grass Valley while working for the Sherman County School District as a teaching assistant and librarian. In 2010, she became full-time support on the farm as bookkeeper, tractor driver and ag tech.

Her family has been Wasco Electric Cooperative members for four generations, and she is looking forward to serving as a board member.

District 3

DEORA PATTON, incumbent, and her husband, Don, are lifelong residents of Maupin. They have three children who live in Washington, California and Maupin.

DeOra graduated from Northwestern College of Business as an assistant accounting and legal administrative assistant and has pursued a career in public administration.

She has been the city recorder for the city of Maupin for more than 30 years, providing administrative service in general administration, budget and finance, and land use planning. Prior to working for the city, she worked in administration at Wasco County Columbia Basin nursing home.

During time away from work, DeOra enjoys spending time with her son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons, who are ages 5 and 1.

DeOra has been a director of Wasco Electric Cooperative since 2005.

“I enjoy and care about people and our quality of living,” she says. “Electricity is a highly important aspect, which has and continues to face change and complexity. I appreciate the opportunity you have given me to support and represent our interests of our cooperative in providing competitively priced, reliable energy and related services, and I look forward to continuing.”

Save the Date

Wasco Electric Cooperative Annual Meeting
Saturday, November 18 at Fort Dalles Readiness Center

Program

  • 11 a.m.: Members register to vote
  • Noon: Buffet lunch catered by Cowboy Catering
  • Invocation
  • Entertainment by Ted Horwitz
  • Reading of notice of meeting and the minutes of the annual meeting of November 19, 2016
  • Introduction of candidates
  • Election of directors
  • Speaker Ted Case
  • Report of officers:
    • President—Ron Holmes
    • Treasurer/Auditors—Mathew Clausen
    • General Manager—Jeff Davis
    • Attorney—Ray Kindley

All registered members of Wasco Electric Cooperative can vote for one candidate from each district at the annual meeting.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, mail your ballot to Secretary, c/o Wasco Electric Cooperative, P.O. Box 1700, The Dalles, OR 97058, or drop off the ballot at the office, 105 E. 4th St. All ballots must be received by Friday, November 17.