A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis, serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. © James Conner.
Updated (link). The fifth district Flathead Electrical Cooperative’s board of directors is a table-knife shaped area that runs between Highways 93 and 206 from Highway 2 to Highway 40 (map). Current trustee Alan Ruby, who has represented the area 13 years, is up for re-election this spring. His opponent is Sheri Glaspey.
Ruby v. Glaspey may be the most important choice for members of FEC. Questions regarding Ruby’s judgment are being raised at the board level concerning his service as FEC’s representative to the Montana Electric Cooperatives’ Association, the large group that publishes Rural Montana, perhaps the state’s country magazine with the most room for improvement.
In August, 2013, Ruby, was up for re-appointment as FEC’s representative to MECA. At the time, he was serving as the chairman of MECA’s board of directors, a position for which MECA paid modest compensation.
There was apparently an ongoing concern that Ruby might have been legally but unethically double dipping by accepting money for his MECA gig from both MECA and FEC. In early May, 2013, FEC Chairman Earl Messick received the following email from Ruby’s predecessor as MECA chair:
From: Robert Evans
Sent: Thursday, May 9, 2013 7:49 AM
To: ebmesck@kvis.net
Subject: MECA
Earl,
First of all, congratulations on your election as chair of the Flathead board.
Now, I would like to clarify a few things regarding my compensation as MECA presidenty. I’ve been told that Alan Ruby visited with me on how I billed my time as MECA president. He and I never had a discussion regarding my compensation.
As MECA president I received $1000 per month. Expenses such as travel, rooms and meals were also paid for by MECA. I did not bill Fergus Electric for any work associated with MECA. If anyone wants, I would let them review all my expense claims at Fergus while I was MECA president.
I viewed the MECA presidency as a job that required some personal sacrifice, not as a money making opportunity.
If I can be of further assistance, please let me know.
Regards,
Bob Evans
So at FEC’s 28 August 2013 board meeting, Evans letter glowing ruby red on the table, the trustees took up whether to reappoint Alan Ruby as FEC’s representive MECA. The meeting minutes(PDF) are terse, but cannot hide the decision to replace Ruby with Paul Holland as FEC's representative to MECA.
Montana Electric Cooperatives’ Association’s (MECA) 2013 Annual Meeting will be held September 30th~October 3rd in Great Falls. In accordance with MECA’s bylaws, a Board of Director’s Certification must be completed annually by each cooperative. There was considerable discussion regarding the responsibilities and compensation of MECA’s Board President and it was suggested Earl Messick, as President of Flathead Electric Co-op, contact Dave Wheelihan, CEO of MECA, to obtain further information regarding this topic. Alan Ruby requested the election of Flathead’s position on the MECA Board be tabled and a special board meeting be held August 29th so he could be present in person to further discuss this matter.
It was moved by Chris Byrd to appoint Alan Ruby to fill Flathead’s position on the MECA Board. The motion was seconded by Duane Braaten and a roll call vote was called. The motion failed by a vote of four in favor and five opposed. (For: Chris Byrd, Duane Braaten, Doug Grob and Alan Ruby. Against: Paul Holland, Emery Smith, Jay Downen, Bruce Measure and Earl Messick.)
It was moved by Emery Smith to appoint Paul Holland to fill Flathead’s position on the MECA Board. The motion was seconded by Jay Downen and a roll call vote was called. The motion passed by a vote of six in favor and three opposed. (For: Emery Smith, Doug Grob, Jay Downen, Bruce Measure, Earl Messick and Paul Holland. Against: Duane Braaten, Chris Byrd and Alan Ruby.)
It was moved by Paul Holland to appoint Earl Messick as the MECA Board Alternate. The motion was seconded by Emery Smith and upon being put to a vote was adopted with eight in favor and one opposed.
Earl Messick was appointed Voting Delegate and Emery Smith as Alternate Voting Delegate to the MECA Annual Meeting.
The issue was revisited at the regular and a special board meeting (minutes PDF) in September, but nothing changed.
FEC’s decision to not reappoint Ruby to MECA did not go unnoticed by other rural electric co-ops, and, I’m told, provoked within that community the same interest and discussion that occurs when an Air Force Missile Base commanding officer is abruptly fired or a submarine’s commanding officer is ordered ashore never to go to sea again.
My sources tell me that Ruby’s situation, and his reaction to it, do not and will not raise questions of lawbreaking or violations of FEC's rules and policies. But Ruby's handling of the situation reportedly has raised in the minds of some trustees serious concerns about his judgment, and it's evident that some might welcome his defeat in the trustee election.
FEC board ballots and candidate statements are supposed to be mailed out this week. There may be candidates forums, and there probably will be interviews in newspapers and on television. Questions regarding Ruby’s tenure as MECA’s board chief surely will come up, but I hope these are not the only questions that are put to the candidates.
Update, 24 March. Yesterday I received an anonymous (and anonymized) email from someone using the nom de plume Michael, urging me to visit guidestar.org to look at FEC’s Form 990s, which among other things report how much money officers and trustees receive from their nonprofit.
It’s possible that someone wants to finger someone connected to FEC for something without leaving fingerprints. I understand that kind of caution, but it undermines the cautious one’s credibility. If you’ve really got the goods on a guy, truth is an absolute defense, so stand up and shout out the facts yourself.
At Guidestar, the 990 information costs $125, which puts it out of Flathead Memo’s reach. We’re looking for another source of the report. In the meantime Micheal (or anyone else, for that matter), can send the 990s to tips@flatheadmemo.com. Please use your real name this time and provide contact information. I’ll keep it confidential.
