Robert Johnston of Frederick was selected as the Vice Chairman and Homer Nicholson of Ponca City as the Secretary of the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority’s (OMPA) Board of Directors at the board’s monthly meeting March 10 in Edmond.
Officers are selected entirely by the Board of Directors and are annually chosen in October. Johnston was selected to fill a void at Vice Chairman after the passing of long-time board member A.L. “Buddy Veltema” in February. Johnston had previously been Secretary, so that position then came open.
Johnston, who has been the City Manager at Frederick since 1993, joined the board in 2004. He is a past president of the Oklahoma Municipal League, has served International City/County Management Association Executive Board and was a 2010 recipient of the Ray Duffy Personal Service Award, presented by Municipal Electric Systems of Oklahoma. He also was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame for City and Town Officials in 2013.
Nicholson has served on the OMPA board since 2008. He became Mayor of Ponca City in 2007 after a 38-year career with Conoco. As such, he has presided over a number of large projects in the city, including a new $25 million YMCA and the completion of a Comprehensive Master Plan. A past President of the Oklahoma Municipal League, he was recently selected to a spot on the American Public Power Association’s Policy Makers Council. He is a 2010 recipient of the Meritorious Service Award, presented by MESO.
Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA) is a municipal joint-action agency created for the purpose of providing an adequate, reliable and affordable supply of electrical power and energy to Oklahoma’s municipally owned electric systems. The Authority presently serves 41 municipally owned electric systems in Oklahoma. As a consumer-owned public power entity, OMPA is owned by the member cities it serves.
