Thorman, Morris and Gullickson re-elected to Polk-Burnett Electric Co-op board
Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative announced the results of its 2026 board election at the co-op’s 88th Annual Meeting June 5. Three incumbent directors were re-elected.
In District 1, incumbent director Cindy Thorman of Osceola ran unopposed and was re-elected with 266 votes. District 1 includes parts of Osceola, Alden and Garfield townships, and Farmington and Somerset townships.
In District 2, incumbent director Mike Morris of Luck ran unopposed and was re-elected with 278 votes. District 2 includes the towns of McKinley, Maple Plain, Georgetown, Johnstown and Crystal Lake.
In District 3, incumbent director Ed Gullickson of Amery ran unopposed and was re-elected with 256 votes. District 3 includes parts of Garfield and Alden townships, and Lincoln, Blackbrook, Clear Lake, Vance Creek, Star Prairie, Forest and New Haven townships.
Voter participation was 11%, with 675 paper ballots and 158 online ballots received from 7,360 eligible voters. The election was conducted by an independent contractor, with all members in districts 1, 2 and 3 receiving a ballot and voting instructions earlier this spring.
Thorman, Morris and Gullickson will serve three-year terms on the co-op board, beginning with the June 22 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: Joe Metro, Balsam Lake, District 4; John Ukuru, Luck, District 5; Wilfred Owens, Frederic, District 6; 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 2026 board election.”
Polk-Burnett is a not-for-profit, member-owned cooperative that provides reliable electricity with efficiency and extraordinary service to more than 22,000 homes, farms and businesses.
