June 26, 2006
David Fugitt,
General Manager
Terry Kirkendoll,
President, Board of Directors
All Board Members,
Staff Members, and General Members, thereto:
Petit Jean Electric
Cooperative
P.O. Box 37, 270
Quality Drive, Clinton, AR 72031-0037
Re: Policy of
routinely closing board of directors meeting to member observation.
Dear Mr. Fugitt:
I hope this
letter finds you well. As follow up to our phone conversation today,
which as you know took me quite aback, I am burdened with the
responsibility to further inquire on this matter, to wit:
Kindly provide
for my records all statutory authority and/or legal citation, including
but not limited to articles of by-laws, corporate charter, minutes of
meetings, Arkansas statues and/or findings of courts, upon which our
Coop’s policy of generally closing all Coop Board of Directors meetings
to Members has been established.
For purposes of
clarity and expediency, be advised that as a result of my previous
conversations with you, Mr. Kirkendoll and various members of your
staff, I am already aware that any Member may request time on the agenda
of any regularly scheduled board of directors meeting, that such time
must be requested in advance of the meeting, that the length of the
presentation is subject to limit, and that the specific nature of the
requested presentation must be clearly defined at the time the request
is made. Also, that all such requests are subject to your (Mr. Fugitt’s)
personal approval.
I am in receipt
of a written copy of our Coop’s Board Policy statement regarding Members
Access To Board Meetings (as outlined above) and respectfully must
inform you that it does not address the issue raised herein. That is, my
interest is NOT to ‘request an audience before the Board’ but to simply
attend regularly scheduled Petit Jean Electric Cooperative Board of
Directors Meetings as an observer.
Noting that my
interest to attended such a meeting, held at 7:00pm the same date as
this note, and you informing me that Members are not allowed to attend
is what prompted this letter, I look forward to better understanding the
legal basis upon which this member-owner restriction is being enforced.
Thanks for your
kind attention,
Christine Louise
Weiss, 501-745-4153, 223 Primrose Lane, Shirley, AR 72153
cc: Van Buren
County Democrat, Fairfield Bay News, Marshall Mountain Wave, Arkansas
Times, Log Cabin Democrat, Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Arkansas Public
Service Commission, Robert Reed, Elton Wyborny and interested others,
some by bcc.
