Voting starts Friday, May 24 in PEC district 5 race
By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor
Pedernales Electric Cooperative District 5 director candidates offered their views on single-member districts, renewable energy, board member conduct and electric reliability during last month's PEC candidate forum.
Now voting in the election begins Friday, May 24, and continues online and in person at PEC district offices and at the annual membership meeting, to be held Saturday, June 22, at Horseshoe Bay Resort, 200 Hi Circle North, Horseshoe Bay.
The winning candidate will serve a three-year term that will expire in June 2022. Incumbent District 5 director James Oakley is seeking re-election and faces a challenge from three opponents: Lisa Ivie Miller, Kenneth Reneau and John A. Watson.
Oakley was first elected to the PEC board in 2013 and was re-elected in 2016. He was elected Burnet County judge in 2014 and previously served as a Burnet County commissioner. He also spent 10 years in corporate communications and public relations. He lives in Spicewood.
Miller is a partner in South Texas Money Management Ltd. and serves as senior vice president and relationship manager. She worked in the district and Capitol office of the late state Sen. Teel Bivins of Amarillo for seven years and was appointed to serve as the state's firefighters' pension chairman by then-Gov. Rick Perry. She lives in Austin.
Reneau formerly served as city manager for Weatherford from 1983 to 1999 and was general manager of the Angelina & Neches River Authority from 2000 to 2009. He was an interim city manager for Flatonia in 2012 and has also worked in Bowie and Grand Prairie in various roles. He is retired and lives in Spicewood.
Watson is a retired Blanco attorney who has been a cooperative member for more than 20 years and has been an outspoken critic of the cooperative leadership. He was part of an organization which pushed for reform of PEC 10 years ago, when former cooperative leadership was embroiled in scandal.
Oakley, Reneau and Watson took part in the April 18 candidate forum at PEC headquarters in Johnson City. Miller was unable to attend and, as such, is not quoted in this article. . .
Find the rest of this story and more on the candidates' positions on the issues in the Tuesday, May 21 issue of The Highlander. To offer a comment or news tip, email lew@highlandernews.com.
