SCOTT CITY–Members of Wheatland Electric Cooperative, Inc. (WEC) have elected two new trustees and one incumbent to its 10-member board.
Results were announced at this year’s 2025 Annual Meeting, held April 23, 2025, in Scott City, Kan., and at seven remote meeting locations across southwest and central Kansas.
Members of the electric cooperative, who voted by mail for the second time in cooperative history, elected Jeff Clark (1502 Grandview Dr. E, Garden City, Kan.) as their District 5 trustee. Clarke, who will begin a three-year term, ran against Jason Dougherty (111 Cambridge Ct., Garden City, Kan.). The vote was 832 vs. 716, in favor of Clarke.
Both Clarke and Dougherty were nominated for their candidacy by WEC’s nominating committee, comprised of seven co-op members, each representing one of the cooperative’s seven districts across southwest and central Kansas.
Clarke is replacing outgoing trustee Wes Campbell of Garden City, Kan., who was first appointed to the board to fill a vacant seat in 1997 and has served on the board for nearly 28 years. District 5 serves members across Finney County, the eastern half of Kearny County, and northwest Gray County.
Co-op members also elected Dustin Stansbury (995 N. State Road 2, Harper, Kan.) in District 7, which serves portions of Harper, Kingman, Sumner, and Sedgwick Counties.
Stansbury ran against William “Woody” Barnes (719 S. Market St., Caldwell, Kan.) and secured just over 60 percent of the total vote: 1,006 vs. 623 in favor of Stansbury.
Both District 7 candidates were also nominated by WEC’s nominating committee. Stansbury will begin his second three-year term; he was first elected by members in 2022.
Lastly, co-op members elected Maribeth Benker (3310 17th St., Great Bend, Kan) with 1,488 votes. Benker, who was nominated by the committee as a District 6 candidate, comprising Great Bend, ran unopposed and will begin her first three-year term. Trustees are limited to six three-year terms on the WEC board.
This year’s ballots received by mail represent a total of 9.21% of the co-op voting membership overall (1,844 returned ballots received from an eligible 20,031 eligible voters).
Survey and Ballot Systems, an independent third-party, conducted this year’s election. Cooperative members voted in 2023 to approve bylaw changes that shifted trustee elections from in-person to mail-in voting starting with 2024.
A total of 548 individuals (including co-op members, special guests, and other non-members) were in attendance on April 23 at WEC’s 2025 Annual Meeting across eight meeting locations: Scott City, Leoti, Tribune, Syracuse, Garden City, Great Bend, Harper, and Caldwell. Of that total, 368 attendees were registered WEC members.
During the meeting, members voted 205-48 in favor of approving proposed amendments to the cooperative’s bylaws.
These changes include a “cooling off period” of three years for former employees interested in running as trustees; adding a 45-day written notice requirement to any proposed new business that “would change or add a bylaw or written policy of the board of trustees” at the annual meeting; and removing write-in candidates from the trustee election process.
Members also voted 239-17 to remove all references in WEC’s bylaws to “telecommunications service” or the like, for purposes of membership and patronage capital now that WEC no longer provides broadband telecommunication services.
This year’s annual meeting theme – “True North: Our Commitment, Your Cooperative” – highlighted the vital role members play in shaping the cooperative’s direction and purpose.
Rooted in the Seven Cooperative Principles, WEC prioritizes member needs while upholding core values of SERVICE, INNOVATION, AND COMMUNITY. With member support, WEC continues to navigate the future with integrity and dedication.
Members at all meeting locations were able to ask questions and offer comments in real time as they viewed the primary meeting location in Scott City. Attendees enjoyed a meal at every location and took home an electronic weather station with color display as a thank you from WEC for attending.
Director of Member Services and Corporate Communications Alli Conine also presented awards to 14 high school seniors from across WEC’s service territory who were recipients of $1,000 scholarships. High school juniors who were selected to attend the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour in Washington D.C., and Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp in Steamboat Springs, Colo., later this year were also recognized.
In addition, Mark Arnold, trustee and board president, recognized several WEC employees and trustees for their dedication to the cooperative, ranging from five years to 45 years of service.
The primary new business discussed at this year’s meeting was the announcement of trustee election results and voting for proposed bylaw changes.
An annual meeting summary video, 2024 financial report, and the 2024 Annual Report, distributed to those in attendance, can now be viewed online or on our YouTube Channel, including a livestream of the meeting.
WEC thanks all members in attendance. Members with questions are free to contact their local office or send their questions to memberservices@weci.net.
