SMECO holds 84th annual meeting

SMECO held its 84th Annual Meeting on August 25, 2022, at the Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department Social Hall in Mechanicsville. The Board of Directors election was conducted online and by mail prior to the meeting.

The following SMECO members were elected to serve on SMECO’s Board for three years: W. Michael Phipps of Calvert County; George Heinze and Richard A. Winkler of Charles County; James A. Richards of Prince George’s County; and Scott White of St. Mary’s County.

More than 8,600 members voted in the SMECO election and results were announced at the meeting. SMECO’s election was conducted by mail and members could also vote electronically by casting their ballots online. Ballots were mailed to members on July 18. The deadline for submitting ballots by mail or electronically was August 18. Seventy-six percent of the ballots were returned by mail and 24 percent were cast online. Members who returned their ballots or voted online were eligible to win one of 30 electric bill credits of $50 each.

Scott White, Chairman of the SMECO Board of Directors, welcomed SMECO’s members to the event and called the meeting to order. SMECO’s president and CEO, Sonja Cox, introduced the video version of the cooperative’s 2021 annual report. Personnel featured in the video explained how SMECO enhanced its infrastructure with transmission system upgrades and two new substations, as well as upgrading transformers at several other substations. The video also highlighted how SMECO and its employees navigated through challenges.

SMECO saw a lot of major changes in 2021—we had changes in our political climate, challenges with bringing people back into the workforce after the pandemic, and increasing energy prices. Trying to deal with these changes has been a major challenge.

Cox also answered questions from the audience and addressed topics such as clean energy and the impact of supply chain issues on the cooperative. In addition, the audience applauded when one member thanked SMECO’s linemen for doing a good job.

“I think the future looks bright for SMECO and the industry in general,” Cox said. “SMECO’s members—its owners—are the core of the cooperative. Their satisfaction drives the cooperative’s decision making and advancements. SMECO puts members first.”

Annual Meeting Bill Credit Winners

Annual Meeting ballots were mailed July 18. Every weekday from July 28 through August 10, we announced three lucky winners to receive a $50 credit on their SMECO electric bill. Names were drawn at random from the online ballots and the ballots returned by mail for the Board of Directors election. Winners will see the credit listed as “Annual Meeting Prize” on their bill. Congratulations to our lucky winners, listed below:

August 10
Melissa M., Mechanicsville
D S T., Owings
Dean T., White Plains

August 9
Betty S., Lake Wales
Phyllis S., Waldorf
Marianne G., Welcome

August 8
Faye D., Owings
Randolph B., Indian Head
William M., Lusby

August 5
Julia D., La Plata
Michael M., Waldorf
Joseph T., Waldorf

August 4
Raymond G., La Plata
Victoria R., Welcome
Elizabeth D., Charlotte Hall

August 3
John H., Chaptico
Yanci Q., White Plains
Denise D., Waldorf

August 2
Gary S., Mechanicsville
Philemon O., Waldorf
Donald W., Waldorf

August 1
Ronald P., Hughesville
Baldus Enterprises LLC, La Plata
Roger M., La Plata

July 29
Christina W., Lexington Park
Richard R., Waldorf
Sandra D., Hollywood

July 28
Terence C., Huntingtown
Joseph A., Rehoboth Beach
7th District Volunteer Rescue Squad, Avenue