2008 Candidate for Pedernales Electric Cooperative Board
Mr Dan Pedersen
Vital stats:
Mailing address:
Austin, TX 78734
Phone:
Email: none
Birth year:
Director District 4
Profession: Engineer
Educational background:
BCE and MBA
Questions and Answers
How long have you been a PEC member?
7+ years
How many annual meetings have you attended?
none
When was the last meeting you attended?
not applicable
Why do you want to be a board member?
The cronyism and lining of pockets by current Board members is disappointing. I want to address the situation by returning control to PEC members.
What will you bring to the Board? If you are a sitting Board member, what contributions have you made and what do you intend to contribute should you be reelected?
Relevanct experience:
- 3 years of Board experience with the Lake Travis Community Library District
- 5 years of work with a member-oriented professional association
- 15 years of work with both public and private utilities
What affiliations do you have with any current or past Board members or PEC upper management? (friend, neighbor, golfing buddy, employee, enemy, etc)
None.
What are PEC's current strengths?
PEC's two biggest strengths are its technically competant staff and its widespread operational base.
Where do you see opportunities for change with the Board, and with PEC operations?
The most important opportunity for change with the Board is for it to be more involved and active in setting the operational direction for the PEC.
We have seen major changes in the Board election process this year. How might the election process be improved further?
The election process could be improved by eliminating advisory positions. A smaller board makes it more accountable.
What relationship should the Board have with Member/Owners?
The Board should confer more with members regarding member interests and the decisions that the Board makes.
How might PEC improve its openness?
PEC could develop and distribute (by e-mail) a monthly one-page document of current happenings at PEC and with the Board. Additionally, it could revamp the monthly Coop magazine to focus more on PEC activities.
Are you aware of the 7 Coop Principles (Rochdale Principles)?
I am aware of the Rochdale principles. The Board has failed to meet the principal of democratic control. It has also failed on member economic participation by not returning dividends to the members.
What are your thoughts about resource conservation in general?
Resource conservation is one of many tools that the PEC can implement to meet growing electrical demand in its service ares.
From a business perspective, do you think PEC should encourage or discourage energy conservation? Why?
PEC should encourage energy conservation. While it may reduce revenues in the short-term, over the long-term energy conservation will result in lower operating expenses (and member's bills) through deferred and decreased infrastructure investment.
From a business perspective, how do you think PEC should address renewable energy?
Like energy conservation, renewable energy is one of several tools the PEC can pursue to meet growing electrical demand.
Based on your current knowledge, please prioritize where you feel PEC should put its attention for additional or replacement power sources over the next 10-20 years? (1 is most important; 8 is least important)
7 coal
2 conservation
6 hydro
5 large scale renewable installations
3 distributed renewable installations (ie, homeowner photovoltaics, etc)
1 natural gas
4 nuclear
other:
How many Board members and Advisory Board members do you feel are appropriate?
Board:
7
Advisory Board:
0
What are your thoughts about current board compensation and expense reimbursement systems? Please be specific.
Board members should be reimbursed only for travel only while on official Board business. Advisory Board members should not be eligible for any reimbursement.
What are your thoughts about Board oversight of PEC's finances?
The Board is the ultimate authority charged with the governance and operation of the PEC, including its finances. The current Board members have failed in this regard by being overly compensated for the work that they do and failing to return dividends to the members.
What are your thoughts on PEC's subsidiaries?
The PEC should focus on its core activity -- providing electric power to members in its service area. Money losing subsidiaries should be sold or shut down.
Please write, in 75 words or less, a brief bio that could help convince PEC members to vote for you if you are on the ballot.
Dan Pedersen has a Civil Engineering degree and is a Professional Engineer registered with the State of Texas. He holds a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis on Finance. Dan manages the Reclaimed Water Program for a local municipality. He has worked for a number of utilities, both public and private. Prior to his tenure with Austin, Mr. Pedersen spent five years as a lobbyist for a member oriented organization in Washington, D.C., where he administered a research program with $750,000 in annual revenues.
Would you be willing to participate in a candidate forum, which would be videotaped for web streaming?
Yes
Last updated: 3/2/08
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