F RO M T H E G E N E R A L M A N AG E R

Are You an Electric Co-op Voter?Did you vote in the 2016 elections? If so, you were one of the more than 500,000 voters in co-op territories that went to the polls. You helped turn the tide of decreasing voter turnout in rural areas like ours, and our elected officials took notice!

As a member-owned electric coop-erative, voting is already in our DNA. It’s how we maintain an electric utility that is responsive to the consumers it serves. But voting also plays a crucial part in our rep-resentative democracy. Federal, state and local elections offer an opportunity to exercise a civic responsibility—to select the best leaders for our communities.

2018 is going to be an interesting and important election year, and electric cooperatives have the opportunity to play a vital role in encouraging rural voter turnout and engaging members on issues that matter in our community.

When voters miss the chance to vote, they also lose the opportunity to com-municate their concern to our leaders about the issues that matter to us, where we work, live and raise families.

Reliable electricity, rural infrastructure and access to rural broadband are just a few of the issues we all care about. These issues will only become priorities if we continue to express our concerns to our elected officials. Registering to vote and showing up to the polls on Election Day are the most effective ways to send this

message. When we go to the polls

with the cooperative principle of “Concern for Community” in mind, we instantly improve our political system. It’s a system designed to produce a govern-ment “of the people, by the people and for the people.” People like you and me.

Bluestem has once again joined Amer-ica’s electric cooperatives in continuing the Co-ops Vote campaign to help get out the vote and insert issues important to co-ops and our communities into the public discussion. This effort will ensure that our voices are heard loud and clear every day, and especially on the next Election Day.

Here’s what you can do to help. Ensure you’re registered to vote right now. Then, encourage your friends and family to reg-ister too. Visit the Co-ops Vote website, WWW.VOTE.COOP, to get information on how to register and to learn more about your elected officials. You can also learn more about the issues that matter in our communities.

Co-ops Vote is a non-partisan program developed by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national service organization that represents the nation’s more than 900 private, not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric coopera-tives. I hope to see you at the polls!

Bluestem NEWSwww.bluestemelectric.com

Clay Center: 524 Dexter, P.O. Box 513 Clay Center, KS 67432785-632-3111

Wamego: 614 E Hwy-24, P.O. Box 5Wamego, KS 66547785-456-2212

Mike Morton

Bluestem ElectricCooperative

Board of TrusteesErvin Gnadt President

Bill Pannbacker Vice President

Bruce Meyer Secretary

Richard Ridder Treasurer

Dean Blanka Trustee

Gary Buss Trustee

Donald Classen Trustee

Harold McCarter Trustee

Robert M. Ohlde Trustee

Dan Pollock Trustee

Don Sutter Trustee

StaffMichael M. Morton General Manager

Contact UsWamegoP.O. Box 5 Wamego, KS 66547 785-456-2212

Clay CenterP.O. Box 513Clay Center, KS 67432 785-632-3111

AUGUST 2018 KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING 16A

Bluestem Electric Cooperative welcomes interns CONNOR DIERKING and AUSTIN TRACY.

Dierking, son of Troy and Anne Dierking of White City, will be working with the line crews out of the Wamego office. He gradu-

ated from Caldwell High School in 2016 and attends Manhattan Area Techni-cal College. He plans to graduate in December 2018 with a degree in electrical power and distribution. He enjoys hunting, fishing and watching sports.

Tracy, son of Jeff and Elizabeth Tracy of Argonia, will be working with the line crews out of the Clay Center office. He gradu-ated from Argonia High School in 2015 and attends Manhattan Area Technical College. He plans to graduate in December 2018 with a degree in electrical power and distribution. His hobbies are hunting and shooting.

Nomination and Election ProcessExcerpt from Bluestem Electric BylawsSECTION 4.05 Nomination of Trustees. The Board shall appoint a nominating committee, on or before the first of Oc-tober of each year, consisting of not less than one, nor more than five members from each district for whom a Trustee is to be elected. Board members may not serve on the nominating committee.

Only committee members from each district will nominate their own candidate. Committee members from districts one and two will meet together at Clay Center and committee members from districts three and four will meet together at Wamego. Nominating committees shall meet during the month of October. On or before the first day of November, the nominating committee shall prepare and post a list of nominations for Trustee at the Wamego office if a Trustee is to be elected from districts three or four and at the Clay Center office if a Trustee is to be elected from districts one or two. The committee shall nominate one or more candidates for each position. Nominations may be made by petition, filed on or before the close of business, November 30, at the Wamego office for Trustees to be elected from districts three and four, and at the Clay Center office for Trustees to be elected from districts one or two. The petition must be signed by no less than 5% of the membership of the district for

whom the Trustee is to be elected. The secretary shall immediately post such nominations at the same place where the list of nominations by the committee is posted. Nominations made by the petition shall appear on the ballot in the order received.

SECTION 4.06 Election of Trustees. The election of Trustees shall be by mail ballot. Only those nominees selected by the nominating committee or nominated by petition shall appear on the ballot. There may be write In votes for a qualified member not named on the ballot. The ballot shall first list the name(s) nominated by the committee, then the name(s) nominated by petition in the order received and, at the end, a place to write in a name. Failure of strict compliance with provisions of this section shall not affect the validity of any election of Trustees.

The secretary shall mail the ballots to the respective members by the 10th day of December of each year. Ballots must be postmarked or received at the Wamego office or the Clay Center office on or before the first day of January of each year,

Those members who have been appointed to serve on each district’s respective Nominating Committee will be listed here in next month’s Kansas Country Living magazine.

Eliminate searching for a stamp and worrying about your payment arriving in the mail on time by signing up for ACH bank draft (auto pay).

To sign up for autopay, request an application by calling the Wamego office at 785-456-2212 or the Clay Center office at 785-632-3111, or by downloading an application at www.bluestemelectric.com.

We will need the following information: ffYour name, bank name and phone number, checking account number, bank routing number (ABA No.);ffYour bank address; andffBluestem account number(s). You can also pay your bill online at

www.bluestemelectric.com using your bank account or credit card. It’s safe and secure!

Sign Up for Auto Pay

Welcome Our Summer Interns

Austin Tracy

Connor Dierking

HAPPY LABOR DAYHats off to our staff! In observance of Labor Day, our offices will be closed on Monday, Sept. 3.

In case of an outage, call 785-456-22l2 or 800-558-1580 (Wamego) or 785-632-3111 or 800-297-8725 (Clay Center).

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A Bluestem Coop Program

Be Wary of Third-Party Bill Payment ServicesBluestem Electric DOES NOT charge members to make payments on our website, www.bluestemelectric.com, through the SmartHub app or by phone. Third-party payment locations and websites are NOT affiliated with Bluestem Electric, and payments made through these sources cannot be guaranteed.

If you have any questions regarding making a payment, please call 785-456-2212 (Wamego) or 785-632-3111 (Clay Center).

When making an online payment, use the www.bluestemelectric.com website. Look for Bluestem's logo on the webpage (as shown at right and above).

AUGUST 2018 KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING 16C

Bluestem Awards Grants to 3 Area Nonprofits Bluestem Electric Cooperative partnered with CoBank to provide $6,000 to three local charitable organization: THE WASHINGTON COUNTY FOOD BANK, Washington; SHEPHERD’S CROSSING, Manhattan; and THE CARING COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, INC., Onaga. The donations were a part of CoBank's "Sharing Success" Charitable Contribution Program.

This year, Bluestem donated $1,000 to each organization through Sharing Success, which was then matched by CoBank. CoBank, headquartered outside of Denver, Colorado, is a cooperative bank serving agribusinesses and rural infrastructure providers such as Bluestem and Farm Credit associations throughout the United States.

The "Sharing Success" program was developed by CoBank and was first launched in 2012 to celebrate the United Nations' International Year of the Co-operative. Sharing Success has matched contributions to hundreds of charitable organizations in all 50 states over the past five years. Together, CoBank and its customers have contributed more than $30 million to support the efforts of these organizations, the majority of which are located in rural communities.

"Sharing Success has had a broader

and deeper impact than we ever imagined," said Tom Halverson, CoBank's president and chief executive officer. "We are delighted with the growing participation in the program by our cus-tomers and are deeply grateful to them for their assistance in identifying worthy charitable causes deserving of our sup-port. We look forward to partnering with our customers once again this year and to share our success, in the best cooperative tradition.”

Throughout rural America, coopera-tives are working to improve the quality of life in their communities. Bluestem is excited and proud to be able to assist The Washington County Food Bank, Shepherd’s Crossing and The Caring

Community Foundation, Inc. with this funding so they can continue their success of helping those in need in the Pottawatomie, Riley, Washington and surrounding counties.

Bill Pannbacker, Board Vice President, Bluestem Electric; presents Judy Hill, Washington Co. Food Bank, with a Sharing Success donation.

Michael Morton (left), General Manager, Bluestem Electric; presents a Sharing Success donation to Caring Community Foundation’s Jay Rezac, Board Chair, and Susie Kufahl, Executive Director.

Warren Holmes (left), Client Services Director, Shepherd’s Crossing; and Beverly Olson, Executive Director, Shepherd’s Crossing; accept a Sharing Success donation from Michael Morton, General Manager, Bluestem Electric.

M E M B E R S P OT L I G H T

Ohlde Family Dairy Holds Open HouseBluestem Electric Cooperative mem-ber OHLDE DAIRY in Linn hosted an open house on June 23, in celebration of National Dairy Month. BOB OHLDE, Bluestem Electric Board Trustee; his wife, Norma; their son, Steve, and his wife, Cindi; along with their children,

hosted several hundred visitors. Guests enjoyed breakfast,

root beer floats, door prizes, children’s activities and guided tours of the dairy operation.

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