Bylaw 2: Eliminate Ability for Floor Nominations in Director Elections
DCEC bylaws currently require 3 (of the 9) directors to be elected each year at the Cooperative's Annual Meeting. Currently there are 3 ways in which a members can become a candidate for director elections: 1) be identified by an independent Nominating Committee that is appointed each year by the Board, 2) by submitting a petition signed by 15 or more members and 3) through a floor nomination during the membership meeting.
In an effort to strengthen governance practices at DCEC, the DCEC Board of Directors has worked to make the director nomination and election process more transparent, open and fair. This has included greater communication with members of the opportunity to become a director, details on director duties, compensation and the process for becoming a candidate. Further, DCEC has adopted a practice of providing members with biographical information of candidates in the Notice of the Meeting. Prior to candidates becoming official, DCEC staff confirms that all candidates meet eligibility requirements for becoming a director in accordance with DCEC bylaws.
This bylaw change to eliminate floor nominations is proposed to ensure that members receive biographical information in advance of the meeting to help them decide who to vote for, and for DCEC staff to verify that candidates are eligible to become directors based on the director qualification requirements defined in the bylaws.
