Sandra P. Jenkins of Marble Falls announces her candidacy for the Pedernales Electric Cooperative Board of Directors, District 1. Jenkins, a 22 year resident of the Marble Falls area, is an area businesswoman, activist, and philanthropist. She has served on numerous boards and civic organizations donating both her time and resources to the improvement of both the Texas Hill Country and the lives of its citizens. She would now like to focus on improving the climate at PEC.
“I’ve been outspoken about the problems at PEC since they were first publicly revealed,” said Jenkins. “The PEC belongs to the people and should have a board comprised of directors who respect the members that own it.”
Jenkins, along with her late husband, Bob, co-founded ABC Pest Services, the largest family-owned pest control company in the state of Texas. “We founded ABC Pest Services with the intention of providing an honest product, quality service, and reasonable rates to our customers,” said Jenkins. “I will bring those same old-time values and dedication to customer satisfaction to PEC.”
Jenkins pinpoints several areas of needed improvement at PEC. “The appeal of the class action lawsuit settlement, although flawed, has been judicially upheld so now it’s time to move forward and not lose sight of future goals and challenges,” said Jenkins. “As a new board member I will continue to correct past mistakes, where possible, help create a new board that is more skilled at corporate oversight, and foster dedication to serving the members under co-op principles.”
Fitch recently downgraded PEC’s outstanding first mortgage bonds from ‘AA-‘ down to ‘A+’ citing ongoing pressures on PEC’s new management team and Board of Directors to implement reforms and cost controls in response to past mismanagement and excessive costs. Responding to this most recent troubling news for the co-op, Jenkins said, “As a board member my business experience will be a valuable asset as we work to cut costs, maintain appropriate levels of infrastructure and wisely invest the members’ money into cost-effective sources of energy.”
Energy conservation and continued use of renewable forms of energy also rank high among Jenkins’ concerns for PEC. As a ranch owner and community activist, Jenkins believes that natural resources must be used wisely. “Conservation is a big issue for me,” said Jenkins. We need to take better care of our natural resources so that there’s something left for our children. Therefore, programs which reward energy conservation will be a cornerstone of my board membership. Conservation programs are not only good for our environment, but they help to reduce our electric bills.”
Jenkins has a decades-long record of dedicated service to numerous boards, political groups, and charitable organizations. Her wealth of experience serving on various boards gives her expert insight into good board practices. “A common fallacy among some of the membership and even some of the other board candidates is that the board runs the daily operations of PEC,” explains Jenkins. “In fact, the Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the general manager of the cooperative, for setting policy, for providing guidance and initiative, and for representing and protecting the needs and concerns of the membership.”
Currently, Jenkins divides her time between managing her Double Eagle Game Ranch, limited activities as a real estate broker, and serving on multiple boards including the Marble Falls Chamber of Commerce Advisory Board and the Hill Country Community Theatre. She is also the founder and an active member of the Hill Country Plungettes. “Sandy Jenkins is the kind of person who believes that it’s important to give back to the community,” said Bill Parmeter of Marble Falls. “She is the type of person who gets involved in order to help make things better…and she always does.”
Sunday, April 19, 2009
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