Gene Manternach - Cascade
Son: 2
Daughter: 2
Grandchildren: 6
Gene Manternach (Incumbent)
Region 1 - Jones, Cedar & Linn Counties
Gene has four children - two sons and twin daughters and six grandchildren. He owns a 4th generation livestock and grain century family farm and was former
Assistant Majority Leader of the Iowa House of Representatives. Gene has been an MVEC member since 1978 and a Board member since 1999, serving as secretary since 2014. Gene is also on the Board of Directors for CIPCO, MVEC’s Generation and Transmission provider.
Why are you interested in serving another term on the board?
I’ve learned a great deal over the past 24 years serving on the MVEC Board and I greatly appreciate the confidence and support of all of you (our owners/members) throughout those years. I enjoy all I’ve learned and feel I can continue to bring skilled and educated value to your Board of Directors.
What strengths will you bring to the Board if elected?
I think my #1 strength is the 24 years of continuing education all of you (the members) have invested in my education on and experience with Electric Generation, Transmission and Distribution throughout the years. My second key strength comes from the confidence of my fellow MVEC Board Members having elected me to represent MVEC on the Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO—MVEC’s Generation and Transmission Cooperative) Board of Directors for the past 18 years.
What is your greatest hope for the Cooperative's future?
I have real concerns with Washington DC’s current agenda or desire to electrify the US Transportation System at the same time they’re pushing to close a large part of our electric generation infrastructure. Reducing carbon is good, but we need to maintain the ability to generate the increased electrical needs to power America.
In 2016, your Maquoketa Electric Co-op Board made the decision to invest $65 million into Broadband Internet to our membership. The decision to do that was a tough one, but it has become a huge success. Had we not done it then, to do the same thing now, would probably cost $200 million.
If we can maintain and grow our generational needs, I feel MVEC has a very bright future.
Lee Hein - Monticello
Wife: Jacky
Children: 2
Grandchildren: 3
Lee Hein
Running for Region 1 - Jones, Cedar & Linn Counties
Lee and his wife Jacky have two children and three grandchildren. Lee was born and raised near Monticello, Iowa. In 1981, he established Witsam Inc., the family’s
farming operation that includes 900 acres of corn and soybeans as well as 1500 head of cattle and custom hog feeding for Tri-Oak. Lee was on the Iowa House of
Representatives for 12 years, serving as Chairman of the Ways & Means Committee for four of those years. He has been an MVEC member since 1981.
Why are you interested in serving on the board?
With my experience as a legislator, I worked on legislation that benefited Maquoketa Valley REC. I have followed the board’s actions and have been interested in participating as a board member. A favorite family tale is how my grandfather and his brother traveled the area to encourage people to sign on to bring electricity to the neighborhood via the co-op. I would be a great asset to the cooperative with my connections in and out of the Maquoketa Valley district.
What strengths will you bring to the Board if elected?
My communication skills will help me be an effective board member. Listening has always been an essential skill for me. Obtaining answers to questions for constituents was always important and will continue to be a must. My experience chairing multiple committees at the State House taught me how to work in board settings and gave me the ability to reach a consensus. Being a board member is not a job that only takes place during meetings. My approach is that this role requires being available and active in the district all year, not just once a month.
What is your greatest hope for the Cooperative's future?
I want to keep electricity affordable for our members while maintaining a strong and secure infrastructure that can meet our members’ power needs. Exploring all sources of electrical power generation, whether wind, solar or future technology, we will need to produce more electricity as the demand increases.
Charlie Peters - Bellevue
Wife: Jenni
Children: 4
Charlie Peters (Incumbent)
Region 2 - Jackson County and portions of Clinton County
Charlie owns and operates Peters Beef Genetics along with his wife Jenni and their four children. The 6th generation operation consists of purebred and commercial cow-calf, bred heifer program, feedlot and crop production. He is on the board of education for Marquette Catholic School. He has served on various county and statewide agriculture association boards, including previously serving as regional Vice President of the Iowa Cattleman’s Association. Charlie has been a member of MVEC since 1997 and a board member since 2014.
Why are you interested in serving another term on the board?
My interest in continuing to serve on the MVEC board is really the same as my interest when I first ran: to contribute as a servant leader to an organization that is vital to the success of our rural communities, businesses and families in Eastern Iowa. A strong and successful cooperative has an intimate connection with its members. I would like to continue that link and help ensure that MVEC is responsive to the members and successful in the future as a leader in
the industry.
What strengths will you bring to the Board if elected?
Solid leadership, integrity, curiosity and common sense. I believe it is crucial for board members to exhibit courage in leadership and to have an innate curiosity for
what’s possible. “That’s the way it’s always been done…” will quickly be outpaced by the changes in technology and associated ideas that are with us each day. I believe I can help evaluate those possibilities with a commonsense approach that represents the best interests of the membership.
What is your greatest hope for the Cooperative's future?
My hope is that MVEC can continue to be the best in providing reliable, low-cost service to its members. This will happen only if we stay committed to our core principals while continually asking “what’s possible…?” with the changes in technology and ideas that surround us each day.
Bruce Fisher - Monmouth
Wife: Laura
Sons: 3
Grandchildren: 3
Bruce Fisher
Running for Region 2 - Jackson County and portions of Clinton County
Bruce and his wife Laura have three sons and three grandchildren. He holds a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Illinois Institute of Technology and before retiring, was a Partner with Strategic Talent Solutions, LLC. He currently serves as Chairperson of the Jackson County Energy District. Bruce has been an MVEC member since 1998.
Why are you interested in serving on the board?
I aspire to assist MVEC in navigating the extreme changes impacting energy production, transmission, use and storage. With personal experience in the areas of renewable energy (i.e., solar on our property) and electric vehicles (I own one), and a plan to introduce battery storage at our property, I represent a future profile of an MVEC member. That future will enable members to reduce their energy costs, while reducing transmission demands on the MVEC system and putting more renewable energy online. As part of this, I look forward to assisting MVEC in bringing more member-owner energy generation online, while retaining energy-related dollars in the local economy.
What strengths will you bring to the Board if elected?
As Chair of the Jackson County Energy District, I have led initiatives related to renewable energy and increased energy efficiency. I am passionate about the electrification of transportation and also understand the value of locally-owned renewable energy generation. In my career, I consulted extensively with major energy companies, including Entergy and Omaha Public Power District, assisting leadership in these companies in navigating changes in the industry.
What is your greatest hope for the Cooperative's future?
My aspiration for MVEC is to access and leverage federal dollars to invest in clean energy initiatives. I also want to see the Cooperative rely on objective, third-party analysis to understand the costs and value associated with locally-owned renewable energy so that such local generation can be optimally integrated within the MVEC system. Finally, I want to see the members’ cost of energy decline as we leverage increased COOP and/or member-owned generation and storage.
Judy Gotto - Epworth
Husband: Dan
Children: 4
Grandchildren: 20
Judy Gotto (Incumbent)
At-Large - Dubuque County
Judy and her husband Dan own and operate two 4th generation century family farms that produce beef cattle as well as crops of corn, soybeans and hay. Judy has four children and 20 grandchildren. She holds an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration and Marketing. Judy has been an MVEC member since 1979 and
a board member since 1998, serving as Treasurer since 2004. She has earned several Credentialed Cooperative Certificates, including Director Gold Credential.
Why are you interested in serving another term on the board?
I was coming home from my first meeting and I was thinking to myself, I’m a bit over my head on this one. To be a good director, I knew I needed to do a lot of listening, ask a lot of questions and I took some business classes as well as a lot of classes through Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative to become an effective board member. As long as I continue to be a director, I will continue to do what I can on behalf of the members.
What strengths will you bring to the Board if elected?
I have served Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative members for 25 years and have worked hard to educate myself on the electric utility industry as well as the cooperative business model. I have helped the co-op navigate the addition of technologies such as SCADA and automated metering as well as the roll-out of fiber internet.
What is your greatest hope for the Cooperative's future?
This is an ever-changing world and the one thing that I hope remains the same is that Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative continues to provide the best, reliable, affordable service.