PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Drake Rice, OMPA Director of Member Services, 405/340-5047
OMPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS RE-ELECTS BOARD MEMBERS, FILLS BOARD VACANCIES
During the 2011 Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority’s (OMPA) Annual Electors’ Meeting, Janice Cain, Marlow City Administrator/Elector, Robert Johnston, Frederick City Manager/Elector, and A.L. “Buddy” Veltema, Elector from Walters, were unanimously elected to serve additional three-year terms on the OMPA Board of Directors. In addition, John Ramey, Okeene City Manager/Elector, Dan Scott, Altus Electric Superintendent/Elector, and Mark Skiles, Blackwell City Manager/Elector, were unanimously elected to fill vacancies on the OMPA Board. The electors’ meeting was held at the Roland H. Dawson OMPA Headquarters Building in Edmond on September 8th. This year marks a milestone for the consumer-owned public power entity – its 30th anniversary.
Veltema also was honored during the annual meeting for his 30 years of consecutive service on the OMPA Board with the title of Chairman Emeritus, the first board member to hold that position. He is one of the original board members and founding fathers of OMPA. He was first elected to the OMPA Board at the Annual Electors’ Meeting held September 2, 1981. Veltema was elected as the Board’s Vice Chairman in 1989 and has continued to serve in that capacity. He previously held the positions of Chairman and Secretary on the OMPA Board. Veltema also served on the MESO Board of Directors. He retired as Walters’ City Manager on March 1, 2001, after having served in that position for 27 ½ years. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame for City and Town Officials in 2006. Veltema also was the recipient of APPA’s Larry Hobart Seven Hats Award in 1987, which recognizes utility managers who serve in the nation’s smaller communities and whose variety of management responsibilities extends well beyond those of a manager in a larger system with a larger staff.
Janice Cain – Cain was unanimously appointed by the board to fill a vacancy during the board’s monthly business meeting on March 11, 2010. She has served as Marlow’s City Administrator since 1998. In addition, Cain serves as a member and past president of the MESO Board of Directors and as a past board member and president of the City Management Association of Oklahoma. She also serves as a board member of the Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group (OMAG) and is a past board chair. She is a member of the International City/County Management Association and the American Public Power Association (APPA). In 2008 during APPA’s National Conference, Cain received APPA’s Larry Hobart Seven Hats Award, which recognizes managers who perform a variety of duties in communities of 2,500 or fewer electric meters.
Robert Johnston – Johnston, who serves as the Board Secretary, has served as a board member since August 18, 2004, when he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board. Johnston was hired as Frederick’s City Manager on February 1, 1993. In addition to serving on the OMPA Board, he has served on the MESO Board since 1993 including four years on the executive committee and one term as president of the association. He also serves as president of the OML Board for 2010-2011. Johnston served on the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Executive Board for 2006-07 representing the Mountain Plains region. During the MESO Awards Luncheon on September 29, 2010, he received MESO’s Ray Duffy Personal Service Award that is given annually to an Oklahoma public official for outstanding achievements in government.
John Ramey – The OMPA Board on August 11 approved the appointment of Ramey to serve the remainder of the term of a board member, who resigned from the board due to health reasons. When that term expires in September 2013, Ramey will be eligible to serve a new three-year term. Ramey spent most of his professional career in Tonkawa where he began serving as a fireman in 1970. Within a few years, he became the fire chief and served in that capacity until retirement. He then was hired as Tonkawa’s City Clerk before being assigned to the City Manager’s position. He was Citizen of the year in Tonkawa for his work in many civic clubs and organizations. Ramey has been serving as Okeene’s City Manager since May 14, 2007. On September 23, 2009 during the OML/MESO/OMAG/OMRF Annual Conference in Tulsa, he received MESO’s Hicks-Middleton Meritorious Service Award, which recognizes an individual who has distinguished himself and his community by his actions and contributions. He has over 35 years of meritorious service to his community and to the State of Oklahoma.
Dan Scott – Scott will fill the remaining two years of a term by a former board member. When that term expires, he will be eligible to serve a new three-year term. Scott was unanimously appointed by the board to fill a vacancy during the board’s monthly business meeting on June 9, 2011. Scott from Pilot Point, Texas was hired as Altus’ Electric Superintendent on October 18, 2007. He has served as chair and vice-chair for APPA’s Electric Transmission and Distribution Committee. He also is a member of OMPA’s Planning & Operations Committee. He managed six divisions for Denton, Texas Municipal Electric before retiring in 2004 with 25 years of service. Scott has managed budgets of more than $8 million with over 30 consecutive projects on a daily basis. In December 2010, he was recognized by the Altus City Council as Department Head of the Year. He also serves as a member of the Traffic and Utilities Committee for the City of Altus. He is a member of the local Kiwanis chapter.
Mark Skiles – Skiles was unanimously appointed by the board to fill a vacancy during the board’s monthly business meeting on June 9, 2011. Skiles has served as the City Manager in Blackwell since September 22, 2008. He also is an ex-officio member of the Blackwell Area Chamber of Commerce and a former member of the local Rotary club. In addition, he is a member of the City Managers Association of Oklahoma representing District 4. He is a native of Kansas. Prior to accepting the position in Blackwell, he served as the city manager for the City of Concordia, Kansas. He also served as the city manager in two other Kansas cities – Eureka and Kiowa.
Those attending the annual meeting also heard reports from Board Chair Charles Lamb and General Manager Cindy L. Holman. Lamb discussed the new initiatives undertaken by the board during the past year, including the development of some additional green power resources with a long-term purchase power contract of a land fill gas project. Holman’s remarks centered on accomplishments in 2011 related to load factor improvement programs for the member cities, current generation status and future power supply needs.
OMPA is a state governmental agency created by the legislature to serve cities and towns that own and operate their electrical distribution systems and is governed by the members. The Authority presently serves 38 municipally-owned electric systems in Oklahoma.
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