Submitted by Orcas Power & Light Cooperative.

On Thursday, April 24, at the OPALCO Business Annual Meeting, Rick Fant of the OPALCO Election and Governance Committee announced the results of the 2025 Board Election. In District 1 (San Juan, et al), Mark Madsen was elected with 1,664 votes. In District 3 (Lopez, et al), Brian Silverstein was elected with 1,674 votes. In District 4 (Shaw, et al), Jerry Whitfield was elected with 1,610 votes. A total of 1,801 ballots were cast, which equates to 15.4% of the membership.

Fant encouraged OPALCO members to step up and serve on the volunteer Elections and Governance Committee. The EGC is responsible for cultivating qualified candidates for each board election. There are currently open positions on the EGC. The time commitment is reasonable: committee members work year-round on a casual basis to identify potential candidates; meetings are concentrated from November through January during the election season. OPALCO is required by the Rural Utilities Services to hold an annual meeting each year. During the meeting, OPALCO Board President Vince Dauciunas talked about the uncertain future of the co-op’s power supply and the need to build local, renewable energy projects. Twenty-four members participated in the Annual Business Meeting.

The next day the Annual Member Festival was held at the San Juan County Fairgrounds. The festival was a huge success with over 350 co-op members in attendance! The fairgrounds turned into a family-friendly educational activity center. The whole OPALCO team was on hand to welcome attendees, give out swag and help keep the event flowing.

Participants got the chance to hang out with the line crew by going up in the bucket truck, getting a lesson in electrical safety or trying out a hotstick – which is a tool a lineworker uses to work on energized equipment so they keep their distance and stay safe. Members could also check out the inner workings of a transformer with our engineering team or learn about how to save money and electricity with OPALCO’s on-bill financing program, Switch It Up. The Board and leadership team were in attendance to answer questions and take comments.

There were nine all-electric vehicles from the mainland including a Blade Chevrolet that brought the Silverado, the Blazer, and the Eqinox, Karmart Volkswagen with the ID. Buzz and ID.4, Karmart Nissan with the Aria, Bellevue Cadillac with the Lyriq and the Optiq and Swickward Porsche with the Macan. The Friday Harbor STEM class brought the all-electric vehicle they built and let attendees take a ride around the fairgrounds. Island Rides, a local nonprofit that uses electric vehicles to give community members free transportation, brought their new all-electric Chevy Blazer.

There was plenty for the kids to do during the festival including snacking on hot dogs and hamburgers, tossing an earthball, riding in the bucket truck, learning about electric safety with the line crew and jumping in the giant bouncy house. Parents could swing by the educational booths to get tips on maximizing energy savings in their house, learn about OPALCO’s on-bill financing and check out some local contractors who provide rooftop solar, efficient windows and heating systems. One co-op member after winning an all-electric leaf blower in the raffle portion of the event said, “I never win anything!! It was so exciting to get my number called.”

OPALCO is grateful to all the community partners who came to the event and shared information including Rock Island Communications, Sustainable Connections, Comfort Ready Homes, Island Rides, West Mechanical, Orbis World Globes, Western Solar, EcoView Windows & Doors NW and the Friday Harbor High School STEM program.

Thanks to donations from OPALCO’s generous vendors and partners, there was a raffle for members who attended the event and members who voted in our annual election. Prizes included electric string trimmers, cordless vacuums, electric lawn tools, wet/dry vacuums, insulated coolers and more. Sponsors included: Olympic Electric, General Pacific, Rainshadow Solar, Streamside Renewables, NWPPA, CRC, Pacific Steel Structures, Steinbrueck Family Excavation, Rain Shadow Consulting, Northsound Communications, West Mechanical, MSF Data Services, West Sound Construction, Swiftwater Electric and Solar and PNGC Power.

Members who missed the meeting can read the 2024 Annual Report on the OPALCO website. The Annual Member Festival will rotate between the islands – next year it will be on Lopez Island!

Orcas Power & Light Cooperative is our member-owned cooperative electric utility, serving more than 11,400 members on 20 islands in San Juan County. OPALCO provides electricity that is 97% greenhouse-gas free and is generated predominantly by hydroelectric plants. OPALCO was founded in 1937. Follow OPALCO @OrcasPower on Facebook and Twitter.

A young co-op member getting ready for a ride in the bucket truck! Contributed photo.

Volkswagon electric vehicles on showcase for co-op members to check out the latest in electric vehicle technology. Contributed photo.