PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Drake Rice, OMPA Member Services, 405/359-2500
OMPA’s 2013 Annual Electors’ Meeting To Be Held September 12th
Plans are underway for Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority’s (OMPA) 2013 Annual Electors’ Meeting, which will be held on Thursday, September 12th at 1 pm at the Roland H. Dawson Headquarters Building, 2701 West I-35 Frontage Road, in Edmond. The theme this year is “Building for the Future.” Prior to the annual electors’ meeting, the board’s monthly business meeting will be held at 9 am.
OMPA’s new General Manager, David W. Osburn, will discuss recent activities of the Authority and expectations for the future. Mr. Osburn, who is just the third General Manager in OMPA’s 32-year history, previously served as the Assistant General Manager. OMPA Board Chair Charles Lamb will report on the board’s accomplishments over the past year.
The annual meeting will honor former General Manager Cindy L. Holman, who retired July 31, 2013 after a 28-year career with OMPA. Walter Allen, former Lexington City Manager, and Janice Cain, former Marlow City Administrator, will also be recognized for their service on the OMPA Board of Directors. Mr. Allen has served on the board since January 10, 2002. He served as Lexington’s City Manager for 18 years before retiring on December 20, 2011 and continued to serve as the city’s elector. Ms. Cain was unanimously appointed by the board to fill a vacancy during the board’s monthly business meeting on March 11, 2010. She served as Marlow’s City Administrator and elector for 15 years.
The Nominations Committee will recommend the current board members to new three-year terms. The committee had previously recommended to the board at the August 8th meeting that Dale Bunn, City Manager of Purcell, and Mayor Leslie Swinerton of Geary fill the two board vacancies until the electors meeting in September. The Nominations Committee is also nominating Mr. Bunn and Mayor Swinerton to fill the remaining terms of the respective seats they were appointed to in August.
The Electors Committee will then consider the re-election of the three sitting board members to new three year terms. Mr. Chuck Hall, Ms. Elizabeth Gray and Mr. Jim Frieda all have indicated a willingness to continue serving on the board, according to the Nominations Committee. There are 11 electors serving on the OMPA Board that are elected by representatives (electors) of the participating cities. Board members serve staggered three-year terms with one third coming up for election each year.
Mr. Frieda, Duncan City Manager, was appointed to serve as the interim director from Duncan on October 11, 2012. He has been serving as city manager since July 27, 2010. Before being hired as city manager, he was appointed Interim City Manager while he continued to serve as the city attorney. Mr. Frieda served 26 years as the city attorney.
Ms. Gray, Altus City Administrator, was appointed to serve as the interim director from Altus on June 14, 2012 to fill a vacancy on the board. On September 13, 2012, she was elected to serve as a director to fill the remainder of the previous board member’s term, which is set to expire on September 12, 2013. She has been serving as Altus City Administrator since January 1, 2012. Prior to being hired by Altus, she served as the Assistant Borough Manager for the Matanuska-Sustina Borough in Alaska for two years and Acting Manager for one year.
Mr. Hall was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board and confirmed by the electors during the 2007 Annual Electors’ Meeting. He has served as Perry’s Mayor since April 2007. He also serves as chairman of the board for the family-owned Exchange Bank & Trust Company of Perry.
Those serving on this board appointed committee are Mayor Homer Nicholson from Ponca City, who is serving as the committee’s chair; Robert Johnston from Frederick, who also serves as the Board’s Secretary; and John Ramey from Okeene. Board Chair Charles Lamb serves as an ex-officio committee member.
Current OMPA Board members serving that are not up for election this year are: Charles Lamb, Mayor of Edmond and Board Chair; Buddy Veltema, elector from Walters and Board Vice Chair (Chairman Emeritus); Robert Johnston, Frederick City Manager and Board Secretary; Homer Nicholson, Mayor of Ponca City; John Ramey, Okeene Town Administrator; and Mark Skiles, Blackwell City Manager.
The 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 39 municipally owned electric systems in Oklahoma. As a consumer-owned public power entity, OMPA is owned by the member cities it serves.
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