Cooperatives are democratic entities, owned by those they serve and governed by elected representatives. New this year, Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative is offering multiple ways to vote to underscore this basic, but important, cooperative principle: your right to vote.

Vote by Mail 
Election ballots are scheduled to be mailed to all Todd-Wadena members on March 11th. The order of candidate names will be rotated among ballots. After marking your votes, you will be instruction to insert your completed ballot into a confidential envelope, and then to seal and place that envelope into a pre-stamped, pre-addressed envelope to return by mail.

The return envelopes are pre-addressed to Survey & Ballot Systems (SBS) in Eden Prairie where the ballots will be secured, scanned, and tallied. SBS is a professional election management company that oversees the balloting process for the cooperative.

Please Note: Mailing Envelopes
There are two envelopes to be returned with each ballot. One is the pre-addressed envelope to Survey & Ballot Systems, the other is the confidential envelope. It is very important that the ballot is first placed into the confidential envelope, and then that envelope is placed into the preaddressed envelope to be mailed. If the ballots are not in a confidential envelope they cannot be counted as a valid vote.

Vote Online via DirectVote
There will be instructions with the ballots you receive the mail on how you can vote online using DirectVote. You will not need a SmartHub account in order to vote this way. Once you’ve authenticated through the DirectVote page, follow the directions to cast your vote.

Vote Oneline via SmartHub
Log into your SmartHub account and look for the “Vote Now” button in the upper right corner. Follow the instructions to finish casting your vote.

Vote at the Annual Meeting
As always, there will be an opportunity to cast your vote at the Annual Meeting on April 16^th. Votes cast at the Annual Meeting will be scanned and tallied on site by SBS and added to the mailed and electronic ballot tally. Results of the balloting will be announced at the close of the Annual Meeting on April 16^th and printed in the May issue of the Pine to Prairie News.

Giving back to the community we serve is a core cooperative principal. The Operation Round Up Program from Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative is a great way for the co-op and its members to give back.

Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative’s Community Trust Board recently met and awarded nine Operation Round Up grants to local non-profit organizations, totaling $9,500

The recipient organizations and their awards are as follows: Bertha Ambulance Service, $550; Bluffton Fire & Rescue, $600; Central Minnesota Boys Choir, $500; LSS Senior Nutrition Program, $1,000; Sebeka School- Special Education Dept., $1,500; Cooking Matters-Go Fresh Wadena, $450; Verndale Fire Department, $1,500; Wadena County 4H Horse Project, $1,400; Wadena County Agricultural Society, $2,000.

Funds for the Operation Round Up program come from participating Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative members who allow their monthly electric bills to be rounded up to the nearest dollar, with the change allocated to a Community Trust Fund. The average donation is less than 50 cents a month, yet together, members raise and donate about $29,000 annually to community service projects in the two-county area.

Since the program’s inception in 2002, Todd-Wadena members have raised and donated more than $510,000 for more than 685 local community projects.

Todd-Wadena’s Operation Round Up grant applications are reviewed and recipients selected three times a year by a seven-member volunteer Community Trust board. The next application deadline is May 15.

Local, nonprofit community service groups may apply for Operation Round Up grants by stopping by or calling the Cooperative office at 800-321-8932 or by downloading a copy of the application form and guidelines from the Todd-Wadena website, www.toddwadena.coop and clicking the ‘Our Community’ tab.

Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative (TWEC) Board of Directors is pleased to announce Daniel Carlisle has accepted the position as President/Chief Executive Officer and Legal Counsel. Carlisle, who currently serves as an attorney for Pemberton Law Office, will succeed current President/CEO Robin Doege, in October.

Daniel Carlisle, Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative’s President/CEO and Legal Counsel

 “Dan is a long-time member of our community, understands our culture at Todd-Wadena, has great communication skills, has vast knowledge of our industry, and will be a great leader in our rapidly changing world,” said Mike Thorson, TWEC Board Chair

After working with Cindy Schue of Great River Energy’s Human Resources department, the Board developed a profile of what they wanted in a leader. The board unanimously decided to hire Carlisle. Carlisle has served as TWEC’s legal counsel for over eight years. “I am extremely humbled and proud of the opportunity to lead this organization into the future. Outgoing CEO, Robin Doege, and the staff at TWEC have created a solid team that has proven how to best serve our membership’s interests,” said Daniel Carlisle.  “I look forward to continuing the mission to responsibly deliver energy and provide great value to our members.”

Carlisle received his undergraduate degree in Public Administration from the University of North Dakota and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of North Dakota School of Law. Carlisle and his wife, Jeannie, raised their two children in Wadena. Carlisle has practiced law in Wadena for 30 years. Much of Carlisle’s career has been spent representing rural electric cooperatives on a variety of issues, and in serving as legal counsel to the Minnesota Rural Electric Association (MREA).

Click HERE for TWEC Outage Information

While summer brings much fun in the sun, it can also bring the occasional severe storm. In the event of a power outage, you can trust that Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative is ready to respond.
The major cause of most power outages comes from damage to power lines due to falling trees and branches. We work year round – through right-of-way clearing – to ensure power lines in our service territory stand little risk of being damaged by trees, branches or other types of vegetation.
Despite our best efforts, during major storms, damage can occur to transmission stations, substations and power lines. When this happens, our first priority is to safely restore power to as many members as possible in the shortest amount of time.
We start by mobilizing our line crews and other critical staff. Every phone line available is utilized to take your outage report calls. The big problems are handled first – like damage to transmission lines, which serve tens of thousands of people. These problems must be corrected before we can focus on other areas where more localized damage may have occurred.
Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative’s line crews inspect substations to determine if the problem starts there, or if there could be an issue down the line. If the root of the problem is at the substation, power can be restored to thousands of members.
Next, line crews check the service lines that deliver power into neighborhoods and communities. Line crews repair the damaged lines, restoring power to hundreds of people. If you continue to experience an outage, there may be damage to a tap line outside of your home or business. Make sure you notify TWEC so crews can inspect these lines.

We will do our best to avoid power outages, but sometimes Mother Nature has other plans. Be sure to check www.toddwadena.coop, or www.facebook.com/ToddWadenaElectricCooperative on your smartphone for the latest updates during a power outage.