PALMER -- Matanuska Electric Association board chair Lee Jordan is the smiling, grandfatherly guy who, at commercial breaks during the 10 p.m. Channel 2 News broadcast, encourages people to turn down their thermostats a few degrees and turn off unused lights to save electricity.
Utility officials say the ad is aimed at getting customers to conserve energy, an important cooperative goal. But Jordan's colleague, MEA board member Peter Burchell, said the reminders amount to a lot of early campaign advertising for which utility ratepayers are footing the bill. The ads, which cost the utility $185,000, should be stopped, he said.
Jordan, president of the Matanuska Electric Association Board of Directors, is nearing the end of his first full term on the board, and could run for a second term in the spring.
"There's a state law saying you (the utility) can't advance his candidacy," Burchell said.
The law, part of Alaska Statute 10.25.010, says electric and telephone cooperatives "may not use cooperative funds to promote or oppose the candidacy of a candidate for director of the cooperative."
Jordan said he's not sure he's running yet. MEA elections happen at the utility's annual meeting in March or April.
Candidates file 52 days before the annual meeting date. Dates for the 2008 election and annual meeting haven't been set yet, he said.
The advertisements are part of a yearlong contract with Channel 2. At an Aug. 13 MEA board meeting, cooperative spokeswoman Lorali Carter said the company secured a late-night newscast sponsorship plus production costs for $185,000.
Jordan has been board president for four years. Carter said being the public face of the utility is one of Jordan's duties and was not an attempt to promote him as a potential candidate.
Jordan said he has recorded radio commercials this summer encouraging voters to send in their ballots advising the utility where to put new power generation plants and he represents the utility at various meetings.
Burchell's term as a board member is up next year too. He said he's already planning to run for a second term. Burchell said he doesn't plan to take his complaint to court.
"I'd just like to point out to people that it's wrong," he said.
"Let's make a level playing field here. I think there's a lot of good things we could be doing with that money."
He suggested making a different advertisement, he said. The message loses its effectiveness when they see the same ad over and over.
