Karen Baldwin, Calvin Murashige and Pat Gegan were elected to the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative board of directors on Saturday. Baldwin and Gegen were nominated by petition, and Murashige was selected by the KIUC Nominating Committee. Baldwin was the top
Karen Baldwin, Calvin Murashige and Pat Gegan were elected to the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative board of directors on Saturday.
Baldwin and Gegen were nominated by petition, and Murashige was selected by the KIUC Nominating Committee.
Baldwin was the top vote-getter in the field of nine candidates for the three director positions. Each director will serve a three-year term ending March 2015.
“My education starts now,” Gegen said by telephone Saturday about the vote. “I’m excited and humbled by the opportunity to serve on the KIUC board of directors, and I look forward to working to make the board more open and transparent. I hope to be able to make KIUC members proud they belong to KIUC.”
During the election, KIUC received 7,145 ballots. The KIUC communications department noted that while there were three available director slots to fill, not all voters chose to exercise all three votes on their ballots.
Baldwin garnered 2,826 votes followed by Murashige with 2,618 votes and Gegen with 2,350 votes, edging out Steve Rapozo who tallied 2,286 votes.
Ken Stokes (2,157), JoAnne Georgi (1,833), Joel Guy (1,514), Lesther Calipjo (1,437) and Stewart “Stu” Burley (1,384) rounded out the field.
KIUC management, with the assistance of the California-based Merriman River Group, announced the tally late Saturday afternoon.
Baldwin, in her presentation on the KIUC Candidates’ website, states “as senior counsel for KIUC, I negotiated the first Purchase Power Agreement for renewable energy in 20 years.”
She said she has the knowledge and experience to continue KIUC’s efforts towards creating sustainable energy on Kaua‘i, advocating conservation to reduce the island’s dependency on fossil fuels and identifying ways KIUC can be operated more efficiently to generate lower rates for customers.
Murashige on the candidates’ website states his work experiences and activities qualify him to responsibly represent the members of KIUC on the board of directors.
The newly-elected board members will be inaugurated at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in the KIUC Main Conference Room, located at 4463 Pahe‘e St. in Lihu‘e.
Following the inauguration, the board will hold its regularly scheduled meeting at 3 p.m.
Visit www.kiuc.coop for more information.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
