The Trico Board of Directors will have some new faces. During Trico’s 2021 Annual Meeting held via Zoom on Saturday, April 24, the election results for Districts 1, 2 and 5 were announced.
In District 1 (Marana, Dove Mountain), there were three candidates: Don Black, Todd Rooney and Tony Thomas. Mr. Black, the incumbent, was reelected for a three-year term. Arnoldo Burruel ran unopposed in District 2 (Marana, Avra Valley) and will replace Brad DeSpain, who is retiring from the Board after 27 years. In District 5 (Arivaca, Sasabe, Green Valley), Joe King, who was running against Damon Goodmanson, was elected to replace Barbara Stockwell, who is retiring after serving on the Board since 1979.
Voting was conducted using electronic and mail-in ballots, and voting was completed on April 21. A total of 569 votes were received, which was enough for a quorum. To assure a quorum for purposes of approving the Minutes, Trico asked the Members who voted in the Election of Directors to also vote on the Meeting Minutes for both 2019 and 2020. A quorum was established, and the minutes were approved.
President Larry Hinchliffe opened the meeting by welcoming everyone who joined on Zoom.
“While this isn’t the ideal way to hold an annual meeting, it is the safest – and we hope all of you out there are safe and healthy,” Mr. Hinchliffe said. “We are hopeful that next year we will be able to see you all in person.”
In his President’s Report, Mr. Hinchliffe discussed the challenges Trico faced in 2020. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year also included a significant forest fire that affected Trico’s Members on Mt. Lemmon.
“I would like to thank the firefighters and other agencies from across the country that came to Arizona and assisted in protecting Members’ homes and businesses on Mt. Lemmon,” Mr. Hinchliffe said.
Mr. Hinchliffe also thanked all the Trico employees who put in long hours, in some cases working alongside fire crews, to restore service quickly and then rebuild the line serving the mountain. He said by using the backup generator located near the Mt. Lemmon Fire Department, Trico was able to minimize the amount of time Members were out of power.
Mr. Hinchliffe highlighted Trico’s community giving over the past year and Trico’s work to help those affected by COVID-19. In total Trico committed to giving over $900,000 to the local community and Members.
Treasurer Nick Buckelew presented the 2020 Treasurer’s Report. Mr. Buckelew said Trico had a good financial year and was able to retire $4.8 million in Capital Credits, which were returned to the Members primarily in the form of bill credits on their December bills. The 2021 Annual Meeting Program and Report included the 2020 Audited Financial Information.
Mr. Hinchliffe took a moment to recognize Directors Barbara Stockwell and Brad DeSpain for their years of service on the Board. Ms. Stockwell has been on the Board since 1979, while Mr. DeSpain joined in 1994.
Mr. Hinchliffe introduced Trico’s new CEO and General Manager Brian Heithoff. Mr. Heithoff expressed how excited he is to join Trico.
“It’s an honor to be part of the Trico team,” Mr. Heithoff said. “I started April 12, so I’ve been here about two weeks. I can tell you we have an outstanding team dedicated to serving our Members.”
