Actions of MEA president raise questions about ethics

Let me start off by saying that I’m a Matanuska Electric Association member-owner. I’m not a member of the MEA Ratepayers Alliance or the Friends of Mat-Su.

Now that the disclaimers are out of the way, I’ve got some questions about MEA and the upcoming board election.

MEA Board President Lee Jordan has violated the MEA campaign finance bylaws. The bylaws say, “A candidate for the board shall disburse all assets of the candidate’s campaign and pay all campaign debts on or before June 30 following the election.” Jordan didn’t disburse his 2005 campaign funds; he waited until 2007 and rolled them over into his 2008 re-election campaign. Why is the board president ignoring these bylaws?

Jordan may have also violated Alaska State Statute 10.25.010, which says that electric co-ops “may not use cooperative funds to promote or oppose the candidacy of a candidate for director of the cooperative.” Last fall, MEA spent $186,000 to run the same commercial every night for months during the Channel 2 news.

Were these commercials, featuring a board member who just happened to be running for re-election, definitely a violation of this law? I can’t say for sure, because I’m also not a lawyer. But I can say that Jordan must have been worried they might be. Otherwise, why did he choose to deceive the MEA membership and the press when questioned on the matter? In a Nov. 28, 2007, Anchorage Daily News article on the issue, Jordan defended himself by saying he wasn’t sure he was running for re-election. Then why do the financial statements he filed with MEA at the end of the year show that he started building his campaign funding in July and started spending money on his re-election in September? Isn’t it interesting that that’s also when those commercials started?

Jordan is also failing to do some pretty important parts of his job as president of the board. MEA bylaws say that the board shall appoint a bylaws committee. There are supposed to be two or three appointments every year as the staggered three-year appointments of its seven members expire. During Jordan’s tenure as board president, not a single appointment has been made. Other committee members get appointed every year, so why are these highly important positions allowed to lapse for years?

Nevertheless, the bylaws committee, expired appointments and all, recently met to consider a bylaw amendment petition presented by more than 600 members. The committee decided to oppose the amendment. MEA bylaws say that recommendation must be submitted to the board for its approval. Approval requires a vote. A vote was never taken. Instead, the recommendation was sent directly to the printers to appear in the MEA ballot book and the February PowerLines newsletter. Why didn’t the board get to vote? Why were the bylaws ignored again?

The MEA election isn’t about ideology, politics, greenies or other distractions. It is about choosing leadership with the honesty and integrity to do their jobs, follow the rules we set and keep the oaths they swear to us. On that at least, we should tolerate no questions.

Kevin Brown is a Palmer resident and campaign manager for MEA board candidates Janet Kincaid and Peter Burchell.