On Thursday at the Empire Electric annual meeting, the Empire Electric board of directors announced the winners of the board of director’s election for Districts 4 and 7.
Larry Archibeque, who ran uncontested, was reelected for District 7, while Bill Mollenkopf won the election for District 4, unseating former District 4 representative Norman Butler, Jr.
Both seats are a four-year term. To be eligible to run, the candidates had to be residents of the district they hoped to represent, be a member of the cooperative for at least one year and acquire 15 signatures from constituents in their district.
Ballots were sent out to eligible voters on May 20.
District 4, now held by Mollenkopf, covers the Dolores area, and Archibeque’s District 7 contains the southern portion of Cortez and the Montezuma County area south of Cortez and north of County Road H.
Mollenkopf has deep roots in the Cortez area.
He founded the Cortez Vision Clinic more than 40 years ago, and has since retired. Before his retirement, he was appointed by Gov. Ray Romer to serve on the Colorado State Board of Optometric Examiners.
He also served as Cortez mayor and is a former Empire Electric board member.
During his time on the Empire Electric board, Mollenkopf was awarded the Director’s Gold Credential from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and represented Empire Electric on the Tri-State G & Board.
When running for the District 4 seat, Mollenkopf said he pledged to support his three electric core values, which are “reliability, affordability and responsibility to our environment, community and safety.”
“These principles will guide my decision-making as a board member. I will thoughtfully consider the varied points of view my fellow board members offer in discussing policy issues, and finally, I will use my experience and in-depth understanding of our communities to make responsible decisions that preserve Empire’s dynamic present and future,” Mollenkopf said.
Archibeque was reelected to his seat in District 7, sharing that he is a lifelong resident of Montezuma County and a descendant of some of the first residents of the area.
During his time as a member of the Empire Electric board of directors, Empire has “maintained and incorporated a strong safety program,” has been secure financially and has supported green energy without compromising its affordability and reliability, according to Archibeque.
He has also been named the vice president of the Colorado Rural Electric Association.
The other board members are Jerry Fetterman for District 1, Robert Barry for District 2, Corey Robinson for District 3, Kent Lindsay for District 5 and David Sitton for District 6.
The seven districts represent a massive area in Southwest Colorado, encompassing Towaoc, Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, Dove Creek, Monticello and all the areas in between.
