PRESS RELEASE
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) will host its 69th Annual Members’ Meeting on Wednesday, August 29, 2007, on the lawn at the Cooperative’s Hughesville Headquarters. Registration begins at 3 p.m. and will end promptly at 7 p.m. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m., rain or shine.
At the Annual Meeting, members will vote for candidates running for five available seats on SMECO’s Board of Directors. In Calvert County, director W. Michael Phipps is running for re-election to the one available seat. In Charles County, incumbent directors Gilbert Bowling and Richard Winkler and candidate Shelby Bowles are running for two available seats. Director James Richards is running for re-election to the one available seat in Prince George’s County. Director Francis Hewitt and candidate George Michael Thompson are running for one available seat in St. Mary’s County.
All Co-op members, regardless of their county of residence, may vote for directors from all counties. Details of the meeting, along with candidate biographies, are published in SMECO’s Annual Meeting Notice, which is inserted in members’ monthly electric bills. The notice is also available on SMECO’s Web site at www.smeco.coop.
Customer-members who are unable to attend the meeting may request an absentee mail-in ballot before August 20, 2007. Completed ballots must be returned to SMECO’s balloting agency by August 29. Members who attend the meeting should bring their registration postcards with them; these “Membership Identification Cards” will be mailed in mid-August.
All members who vote will be eligible to win a $35 credit to their SMECO electric bill; 50 winners will be selected at random. Members must be present to win a grand prize. The four grand prizes include three U.S. savings bonds and a used SMECO vehicle.
SMECO will serve free water, soft drinks, and ice cream from 3 to 7 p.m. to those attending the meeting. Hot dogs and nachos will be offered for sale, with proceeds to be donated to Alternatives for Youths and Families. Entertainment will be provided by the Country Memories band from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m., and Co-op personnel will conduct a Hot Line demonstration at 6 p.m. to educate customers about electricity and safety. Representatives from area fire departments and emergency medical services will have displays for attendees to view, such as fire trucks and other apparatus, until the meeting begins at 7 p.m.
For more information about SMECO’s Annual Members’ Meeting, visit the Cooperative’s Web site at www.smeco.coop.