Qualman, Smith Hymes seek Northern District seat in Holy Cross Energy board election
Adobe Stock Image/Licensed by Walking Mountains Science Center
Based on low levels of voter participation, it’s safe to say a lot of locals don’t know they’re in the midst of election season for the rural electric cooperative that stretches from Vail in the east to Aspen in the south, with its headquarters in Glenwood Springs. They probably also don’t realize that if they pay Holy Cross Energy for power, they’re a member-owner with voting privileges.
Starting today — Wednesday, May 13 — Holy Cross members (anyone who pays the co-op for power) can help decide who serves on the board of directors and shapes the direction of the member-owned utility for years to come. Check out the Holy Cross Energy election section on its website for full online voting details, as well as candidate bios.
Online voting runs through Tuesday, June 9, and ballots will go out in the mail to all Holy Cross Energy members starting May 13. Mail-in ballots must be received by June 9, so give yourself at least a week if you go that route, according to Holy Cross Vice President of Member & Community Relations Jenna Weatherred. Or, she says you can vote in person at the coop’s annual meeting between 5-6 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, at 4 Eagle Ranch in Wolcott.
There are two seats up for grabs in this election: one in the Northern District from East Vail to the eastern end of Glenwood Canyon, and one in the Southern District from El Jebel to Aspen. Board members are paid a $1,000-per-month stipend plus travel expenses for meetings, events and training sessions. Members vote for candidates in both districts, no matter where they live.
Three candidates — Dave Munk of Carbondale, Karen Page of Snowmass and Ryan Slack of Basalt — are all vying for one seat in the Southern District.
Support Local Journalism
Two candidates — Liz Qualman of Edwards and Sarah Smith Hymes of Avon — are vying for one seat in the Northern District.
Qualman, Colorado Mountain College Director of Teacher Education, said she took a local leadership class last year called “Leveraging Local Leaders” where Weatherred spoke to the group. It inspired her as resident of Eagle County since 1994 to run for elected office for the first time, although she feels she’s been building human infrastructure here for years.
“So that’s where my passion really took off was in learning more about Holy Cross Energy, the member-owned cooperative,” Qualman said. “I get really excited … about how it’s transitioned over the years and that (Holy Cross President and CEO) Bryan Hannegan … was just quoted in an article saying that we’re consistently at 85% renewable energy.”
Expanding CMC’s pool of educators at 11 campuses across the central Rocky Mountains and dealing with complex budgets and financing has prepared her for the Holy Cross board, Qualman said, adding, “I’m interested in continuing to support infrastructure in our community in a different way than education because I’ve done that for a very long time and am very proud of how we have diversified the teaching workforce.”
Hymes, former Avon mayor and council member, teaches ESL classes at CMC and was chairperson of the Climate Action Collaborative from its formation in 2016 through 2022. A longtime local resident, small business owner and politician, she’s currently a board member, assistant secretary and treasurer of the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District, one of Holy Cross Energy’s largest power consumers, and was instrumental in the formation of the Core Transit regional transportation authority that significantly expanded mass transit throughout the Eagle River Valley.
“Member support and inspired leadership has enabled Holy Cross Energy (HCE) to make remarkable progress, delivering 85% renewable power while keeping rates among the lowest in Colorado,” Hymes writes. “I would consider it a privilege to join the team tasked with completing the transition to 100% clean, affordable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero. I will add practical experience in local government, business and sustainability to meet the challenge.”
In an interview, Hymes said doing all of that while maintaining some of the lowest electricity rates in the state will be critical moving forward, as will increasing member participation in HCE programs such as PuRE, which she championed at the town of Avon, and the Power+ home battery program.
“There could be higher levels of participation,” Hymes said. “There’s so many people that want to do something and it’s just so overwhelming and so confusing. But people need to understand that they actually do have choices.”
Starting with voting as a member-owner of Holy Cross Energy.
