L-R: Joe Metro, John Ukura and Wilfred Owens were elected by co-op members to serve on the board of directors

Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative announced the results of its 2022 board election at the co-op’s 84th Annual Meeting June 10.  

In District 4, incumbent director Joe Metro, Balsam Lake, ran unopposed and was re-elected with 236 votes. District 4 includes the towns of Balsam Lake, Apple River, Beaver, Clayton and Almena.

In District 5, newcomer John Ukura, Luck, received 212 votes and won the board seat over incumbent Jeff Traynor, Balsam Lake, who received 181 votes. District 5 includes the towns of McKinley, Maple Plain, Georgetown, Johnstown and Crystal Lake.  

In District 6, incumbent director Wilfred Owens, Frederic, ran unopposed and was re-elected with 262 votes. District 6 includes the towns of LaFollette, Dewey, West Sweden, Lorain, Roosevelt, Luck, Clam Falls and Bone Lake.

The election was conducted by mail and web ballot in co-op districts 4, 5 and 6 in May by an independent election contractor. Voter participation was 16%, with 727 paper ballots and 181 online ballots received from 5,713 eligible voters.

Metro, Ukura and Owens will serve three-year terms on the co-op board, beginning with the June 27 regular board meeting. Directors meet monthly to make policy and budget decisions. They are elected by members, and each represents a district in the co-op’s service territory. Overall, nine co-op directors serve on the Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative board.

Other Polk-Burnett board directors are: Cindy Thorman, Osceola, District 1; Mike Morris, Luck, District 2; Ed Gullickson, Amery, District 3; Jerry Okonek, Spooner, District 7; Chuck Brookshaw, Webster, District 8; and Tom Swenson, Webster, District 9.

"Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative is unique because we are owned and governed by the members we serve. Co-op directors are local members who live and work here. They understand and listen to our local community. Local board governance is one of the greatest advantages of our co-op business model,” said General Manager Steve Stroshane. “We thank all members who participated in our 2022 board election and annual meeting.”

For more information about the co-op board, visit our board of directors webpage or call 800-421-0283.