District Meetings and Elections

I currently serve as the board Vice President and have been on the board for 12 years.

I have been a SECO member since 2004. I am very familiar with the cooperative business model. The cooperative business model allows all of us to be members and not just customers. The democratic voting process allows us to elect our district trustees and participate in the annual meeting voting process. Also, the cooperative is a not-for-profit organization and provides capital credits to its members.

The biggest challenge to the energy industry is to maintain the safety required to operate in a very dangerous business. The other challenges are storm restoration and keeping the energy cost low.

As a trustee, I would speak to each member and respond to the complaints by directing them to the appropriate member of the SECO team. I would follow up to make sure their issue has been addressed.

I have served on the board for the local ambulance corp and now serve on the city council of Clermont.

I have been a member of SECO for 20 years. There are five principles of the model: 1-Membership Ownership, 2-Non-Profit Orientation, 3-Democratic Control, 4-Local Focus, and 5-Service Reliability.

1-Decarbonization and Climate Change Mitigation; 2-Energy Storage and Technological Innovation.

I would want to have transparency in all communication.

I am a member and willing to help my fellow members.

Since 2020 - I know SECO Energy is a co-op and is member-owned.

Keeping energy costs down while providing enough energy for our members.

Address their concerns as politely as possible and see what I can do to help them.

I am a SECO member and a resident in District 5. It was an honor to be elected in 2022 by the District 5 members to serve as their Trustee. In my first year, I completed all levels of certification required of Trustees, achieving Director Gold status. I have maintained this status through advanced continuing education. I have gained a more in-depth knowledge and understanding of the operations of SECO Energy and have the highest respect for all employees. As a Trustee, I have been given the opportunity to serve as a member of the statewide Florida Electric Cooperatives Association (FECA). I currently serve as the Vice-Chair of the Finance and Administrative Committee and was recently elected to serve on the FECA Executive Committee. My commitment to accountability and responsiveness is still priority ONE to ensure member satisfaction, not only to District 5 members but to ALL members of SECO Energy.

I have been a SECO member since March 2014. SECO Energy is a not-for-profit electric cooperative that is owned and governed by its members. SECO rates are designed to meet local needs, cover operating expenses and purchased power costs. After all operating costs are satisfied, any existing profits are returned to members in the form of capital credits.

In one word, sustainability. Population growth in our state and nationally will continue to challenge every option for energy production. There have been and will continue to be increases in fuel costs for energy production. Even with renewable resources, such as wind and solar, problematic challenges will still exist, as residential/commercial development will consume land uses prohibiting renewable resources. SECO Energy and all electric cooperatives in Florida advocate for providing safe, reliable and affordable electricity, in addition to offering resources for efficient use of power in homes and businesses. We must keep open lines of communication and continue to work together as a team to make every energy option affordable for all.

As I have done and will continue to do in the future, I will contact the member to listen to their complaint first. Having the complaint information, I would contact the appropriate SECO personnel to have them contact the member in order to resolve the complaint. I would then follow up with both the member and SECO personnel to assure the complaint was resolved.

My business life of over 50 plus years has provided me with success, upward promotions, and tremendous managerial experience - working thirty-eight years for a major utilities manufacturing company that serviced markets worldwide. After being elected to the SECO Energy Board of Trustees in 2019, I have continued my education, learning the electric cooperative business model by completing 26 NRECA courses and earning the highest level of education, “Director Gold.” I have earned the respect of my colleagues, who have elected me to serve as Board President—the first trustee from The Villages to hold this position. I also serve on the board of Seminole Electric, our power provider. Giving back to the community, I volunteered to coach sports and serve as president of the volunteer Fire Department. I was elected to four six-year terms on the Board of Supervisors of Warrington Township, Pennsylvania. After retiring, I was appointed Director of Operations for Bucks County, Pennsylvania, serving a population of 650,000. I was responsible for the county infrastructure and design and construction of a $150 million justice center complex in Historic Doylestown, Pennsylvania. I’m Honorably Discharged from the United States Marine Corps and an American Legion Post 347 Honor Guard member.

My wife Jane and I have been SECO members for 11 years, residing in the Village of Belle Aire and recently moved to the Village of Glenbrook. Jane and I learned that SECO Energy is the third largest cooperative in Florida, a private business organization created and owned by cooperative members. SECO Energy was formed to put people, not profits, first. SECO continues this powerful cooperative difference today as a member-owned, not-for-profit entity, with specific objectives structured to serve and adapt to its members’ changing needs. I have studied and learned the cooperative business model from top to bottom. If you’ve seen one cooperative, you have seen one cooperative. The business model only works when the interests of the members come first.

With the global population swelling and industrialization rising in developing nations, humanity’s hunger for energy is reaching unprecedented levels. Integrating renewable energy sources and controlling counterattacks and cost containment are major issues facing our industry. I am concerned with the decline in skills available to the aging industry workforce. According to the Department of Labor, as much as 50 percent of the utility workforce will retire in the next five to ten years. I successfully led and encouraged the trustees to start a 4-year lineman apprenticeship program. As of this writing, we have graduated four classes. We must find ways to provide training and opportunities to develop skill sets to build and maintain our infrastructure and continue our standard of living. We must be committed to reducing greenhouse gases and being good stewards of the environment without sacrificing service and reliability. This is our obligation to our children and grandchildren.

I believe in open channels of communication and member satisfaction. Under my leadership, the ACSI (American Customer Satisfaction Index) scored SECO a 91 out of 100 rating. This is considered a best-in-class rating. When contacted by a member, I will return the call, text, or email within hours of receiving the message. I encourage feedback from SECO members. I encourage member engagement and have an open-door policy for members to contact me with concerns, questions, and suggestions or to meet and talk about our great cooperative. SECO Energy members are not customers, you are the owners, and you aren’t just the number one priority, you are the reason we exist. I work for you. I pledge to continue working for you. Keeping your lights on and your rates low are my top priorities. I am asking and look forward to your continued support, representing you as your Villages SECO District 3 Trustee.

Retired business-man and now owning and managing seven rental properties. BS degree in pharmacy 1971 from the Medical College of Virginia.

I have been a member since 2018. I am very impressed with SECO management and customer service.

I studied geology in college and for billions of years the climate has been changing. I think that the biggest challenge for SECO is misguided politicians and activists thinking they can do something about climate change.

I would prefer to respond via email or text in order to document my response.