Voting opens Monday, April 20, for La Plata Electric Association’s board election, a pivotal moment for the member-owned cooperative. Just weeks after leaving Tri-State, which supplied 95% of its wholesale power, LPEA has entered a more open, variable market and faces decisions that will shape reliability, rates and local control.
Electric cooperative boards are not ceremonial. Directors set strategy, hire and evaluate the CEO, and oversee finances. The job demands financial literacy, an understanding of energy systems, a willingness to weigh risk and the ability to work constructively with others.
Transparency and communication with member-owners matter, but so do fiscal discipline, judgment and experience.
This year’s candidates bring different strengths to that task, according to their candidate statements, and readers should make their own decision.
In District 1,
Archuleta County, incumbent
Nicole Pitcher emphasizes continuity and leadership during the transition, highlighting rate stability and a more diversified energy portfolio. As board president, she represents institutional knowledge as LPEA navigates new markets and partnerships.
Challenger
James D. Lane offers technical expertise, with decades of experience across electrical engineering, power systems and industrial automation, including work in hydroelectric, nuclear, and oil and gas. Voters here are weighing governance experience against hands-on engineering depth, both relevant to the moment.
In District 2,
South and West La Plata County, only one candidate qualified, and under LPEA’s bylaws the election was canceled, with John Lee Jr. not running for reelection.
Greg Barber, who has run previously, will join the board. His 14 years as a CPA within a large utility serving more than a million customers bring financial oversight experience central to a cooperative carrying significant new obligations and making long-term power purchasing decisions. Cost control and rate stability will remain core concerns.
In District 3,
City of Durango,
Jennifer Jenkins highlights two decades of experience in the utility and clean energy sector, including work in distributed energy, wind power and with rural cooperatives and counties navigating energy transitions. She has helped rural communities make their own energy decisions and has longstanding relationships with national labs – experience that could prove valuable as LPEA operates more independently
. Jodi Zuber brings a different lens, grounded in small business experience, long-standing local ties and community involvement, including volunteer work with nonprofits and in local elections. She emphasizes affordability and transparency for local households. Both perspectives reflect core co-op values – technical planning and member responsiveness.
In District 4,
North and East La Plata County, incumbent
David Luschen combines 26 years in the electric utility industry with current board experience, including work on power supply, finance, regional partnerships and long-term planning. His background aligns with the operational and strategic demands facing the cooperative.
Challenger
John Purser, also a previous candidate, emphasizes financial scrutiny, governance and accountability, drawing on a career managing engineering and technology organizations and training in economics. His focus underscores another essential board function: rigorous oversight of major financial decisions.
Across all districts, a few themes emerge. The cooperative needs directors who understand risk in a changing energy market, who can interpret complex information and collaborate, even when perspectives differ. The work is detailed, often technical, and requires patience and long-term judgment.
Members also will vote on a
proposed bylaw amendment establishing a formal “record date” – the point at which new members become eligible to vote in an election. The amendment aligns with current practice by setting that date based on when ballots are issued or members are approved ahead of a meeting, providing clearer, more consistent guidance. It is a straightforward governance improvement and merits approval.
LPEA belongs to its members. Participation – whether online, by mail or in person – remains the most direct way to shape its direction.
Ballots can be cast online through SmartHub at lpea.smarthub.coop, by mail, at LPEA drop boxes in Durango or Pagosa Springs, or in person at the May 20 annual meeting. Online votes are due by noon May 19; mailed ballots must be received by 4 p.m.
This election will not resolve every question facing the cooperative. But it will determine who is at the table when those questions are answered – and how well prepared they are to answer them.
