Last Sunday, TGI ran an illuminating editorial by current chairman of the KIUC board. It clearly articulated the old-school, top-down winner-take-all philosophy. On Kauai, where everyone’s voice should matter, I believe co-op membership and our island community as a whole
Last Sunday, TGI ran an illuminating editorial by current chairman of the KIUC board. It clearly articulated the old-school, top-down winner-take-all philosophy. On Kauai, where everyone’s voice should matter, I believe co-op membership and our island community as a whole would be better served with a more cooperative and inclusive approach. Contrary to what the chairman seems to think, cooperative and democratic principles are not based on tyranny of any kind, but rather respect and compassion, discussion and compromise. Collaboration. Cooperation. A shared sense of community. The way we make our choices says a lot about who we are. What kind of co-op do we want on Kauai?
Members want to have their views respected, not managed as a public relations problem. Where the chair sees “a tiny minority” worthy only of dismissal, we see thousands of informed members giving direction to our directors. Where the chair sees “an academic exercise,” we see concerned co-op members engaged in the process. Where the chair says “members are fed up,” here I must agree — fed up over the high cost of electricity, and top-down power politics that shuts members out of our own co-op. What is the point of KIUC being a co-op if it acts like a private corporation? On Kauai, I believe we deserve better.
Real cooperative leadership in the 21st century does not view member petitions as inappropriate challenges to their authority. Real leadership welcomes robust and honest discussion as a healthy part of the democratic process. Real community leaders know this is a golden opportunity to engage, inform and empower membership. By demonstrating these are cooperative values, KIUC can be an active engine to promote inclusive, participatory decisions in our community. We make better choices when all voices are respected and heard. KIUC would do well to seize this opportunity.
The recent election on meter fees missed this opportunity by a wide mark. Prudent action by our directors could have saved members a lot of money. An expensive election could have been avoided entirely by wise compromise to reign in unseemly meter fees. The fee question could have been combined with the annual director election and saved member money by having only one election instead of two. Co-op resources could have been shared equally with both sides to promote healthy discussion and civil debate about the issue. Instead, KIUC management chose to circle wagons and self-servingly use co-op resources to wage an expensive marketing campaign to push their side. It doesn’t have to be that way. Bylaws can be amended to expressly forbid this type of one-sided electioneering on issues before the membership.
Compare and contrast the present annual director election. Many are running, yet in this case, access to communal co-op resources is made equally available to all candidates — incumbent and challenger alike — regardless of how their views align with current KIUC management policies. What is different in this election? Here, KIUC is doing it right! Management, responsible for the day-to-day operations of the utility, is appropriately staying out of member elections. That’s how it should be. It’s our co-op.
When equal time is given to both sides, we are all winners. When you as a member of the co-op are able to reflect on differing perspectives, you are empowered because your choices are based on complete information. Empowering members should be the goal of every cooperative. Why? When issues are given a fair and balanced hearing, the ultimate owners of the enterprise are respected and involved. We make better decisions. Better policy. And we all move forward as a community. Together. That’s what cooperative democracy is all about.
• Jonathan “JJ” Jay is a Wailua resident, and candidate for the KIUC Board of Directors.
