JULY 2025
THE MESSENGER A Publication for North Arkansas Electric Cooperative Members
Little line workers
NAEC Operations personnel Randy Smith, right, and Lance Neal share electric safety information with the Mammoth Spring School District Preschool. They also showed kids the tools and equipment they use on the job and gave a bucket demonstration.
Supporting our students
NEXT, Powered by NAEC personnel present Mountain Home School District personnel with a check for $1,000. Each of the 12 school districts within NEXT’s service area received $1,000 in May. Administrators will direct the funding according to their specific needs and to support one of the following programs: covering outstanding student meal balances, providing food for students to take home over weekends and breaks through backpack programs or purchasing essential school supplies.
Wiles reelected to NAEC board North Arkansas Electric Cooperative (NAEC) members reelected Sonya Wiles of Melbourne to a six-year term on the NAEC Board of Directors. Survey & Ballot Systems of Minnesota conducted the election on NAEC’s behalf. The company mailed each member a ballot, candidate biographies and 2024 Annual Report in May. Ballots received by Survey & Ballot Systems by June 17 were considered valid. Attorney Roger Morgan announced election results during the 85th Annual Meeting at the Salem Civic Center on June 19. Survey & Ballot Systems received 5,404 valid ballots from members. Incumbent Wiles was nominated by the nominating committee for the Izard County position. Michelle Graetz of Horseshoe Bend was nominated by petition. Wiles received 2,942 votes; Graetz received 2,462 votes. CEO Mel Coleman and senior staff shared updates on their respective departments. In addition, Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation President and CEO Buddy Hasten also gave an update from the generation and transmission cooperative, which is NAEC’s wholesale power provider. A recording of the meeting is posted on the Annual Meeting section of naeci.com. CELEBRATING INDEPENDENCE DAY — NAEC offices will be closed July 4. A dispatcher will be on duty, and personnel will be on call in the event of an outage. Please report an outage using the NAEC app or by calling (870) 895-3221.