OPALCO was formed as a cooperative to provide electricity. Recently OPALCO has gotten into the business of broadband, purchased Rock Island, and gone into business with T Mobile without ever consulting the membership about its changes of purpose.

I have learned from my time talking with OPALCO board members and attending OPALCO board meetings that they have no intention of consulting with the membership when they go into businesses that are a change from their original purpose. On the OPALCO website is the following statement about what a cooperative is:

Democratic Member Control – Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions. Men and women serving as elected representatives are accountable to the membership.

Is the behavior described above appropriate behavior for a cooperative?

Gabriel Jacobs

Shaw Island