Powering Our Community: Guided by the 7 Cooperative Principles
2025 Annual Meeting Recap
Union Rural Electric Cooperative (URE) board and staff members welcomed members on Saturday, June 7, at the cooperative’s headquarters in Marysville for the annual meeting.
Reflecting on URE’s 90-year legacy and the values that have guided the cooperative since its founding, Board Chairman Steve Patton addressed the group of approximately 170 people, representing 112 memberships, with a message focused on the foundation and enduring value of the cooperative business model. He reflected on the origins of rural electrification in Union County and the importance of the 7 Cooperative Principles — highlighting Democratic Member Control, Member Economic Participation, and Concern for Community. Patton also emphasized URE’s ongoing efforts to support local programs, return capital credits to members, and maintain member equity as a key part of the cooperative’s financial strategy. He concluded by reinforcing the cooperative’s steadfast commitment to its members and the communities it serves.
Focusing on URE’s commitment to delivering safe, reliable, and affordable energy, URE President and CEO Anthony Smith outlined the cooperative’s efforts to ensure system reliability and prepare for future needs. He walked members through the process of outage response, emphasizing the complexity of power restoration and the dedication of URE’s trained line crews. Smith discussed proactive measures such as tree trimming, advanced metering, equipment testing, and regular line inspections to minimize interruptions. He also highlighted tools like SmartHub that empower members with real-time data and outage reporting. Smith’s message reinforced URE’s around-the-clock commitment to keeping the lights on. Updates on electric and natural gas rates were also shared.
Providing a statewide perspective on energy generation and cooperative strength, Buckeye Power President and CEO Craig Grooms spoke about the shared resources, challenges, and opportunities facing URE and its fellow cooperatives. He gave an overview of Buckeye Power’s diverse energy mix — spanning coal, natural gas, hydro, and renewables — and highlighted the importance of reliable baseload generation to meet growing demand.
Grooms also addressed ongoing workforce and leadership development efforts, mutual aid responses, and recent economic development successes across the state. He concluded by discussing state and federal policy developments and emphasizing the need to retain the existing generation while preparing for new demands. Grooms assured members that Buckeye Power remains well-positioned to provide stable, competitively priced power to co-op members well into the future.
Other business at the annual meeting included the recognition of 7 Youth Scholarship winners: Allison Stacklin (North Union High School), Elyse Janikian (Dublin Jerome High School), Grace Zahn (Fairbanks High School), Olivia Gratz (Marysville Early College High School), Benjamin Stiffler (Marysville Early College High School), Alex Rhoden (Marysville High School) and Miah Cheney (Fairbanks High School). Youth Tour delegates Anne Twaddle and Kate Clarridge were also recognized.
Members also received the finance report from URE’s CFO/VP of Finance, David Speicher.
Brad Gulick, nominating committee chairman, delivered election results. URE members elected a new board member, Steven Martin, to represent District 7, and re-elected Mark Lotycz for District 2. Kim Cutler, attorney at Cutler Law Office, LLC, performed the swearing-in duties. URE members also approved 2 code changes.
As URE continues to grow and adapt to an evolving energy landscape, the dedication to reliability, member value, and cooperative principles remains strong.