Each member on the eight-member Omaha Public Power District Board of Directors serves a six-year term.
Eric Williams, currently chair of the board, is running unopposed in Subdivision 6. John Hudson is running unopposed in Subdivision 7. Incumbent Mike Cavanaugh faces a challenge from Morgan Rye-Craft in Subdivision 8.
Eric Williams
Party: Democrat
Age (as of Oct. 1): 42
Home city: Omaha
Occupation: Natural resources planner, Papio NRD
Family: Kristine Hull, CPA
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Elected offices held: OPPD Subdivision 6, elected 2018
Website: www.WilliamsForOPPD.com
Education: Rice University, B.S., civil engineering
Why are you running for office?
I am running for reelection to continue my dedicated, experienced leadership at OPPD on behalf of people across my district. Members of the Board of Directors provide oversight and accountability, are responsible to establish objectives which guide operations, set fair and reasonable rates, and to serve as advocates for customer owners. I believe I am the best person to provide this leadership at OPPD.
What experiences qualify you for this office?
I have worked for 15 years to conserve and protect natural resources at multiple public agencies, for the benefit of people in our community. OPPD has achieved substantial accomplishments over my six years of elected service. As a director, I have continued to expand my knowledge about challenges in the utility industry. OPPD is continuing to provide affordable and reliable energy services while reducing emissions. I am proud that my leadership has been a part of the recent success at OPPD.
What is your top priority?
Improvements in technology and rapidly increasing demand are transforming the electric utility industry while providing new opportunities. My top priority is to make sure OPPD continues to meet the expectations of our residential, commercial and industrial customers as we build the infrastructure that will power the clean energy economy of the future.
Is OPPD properly balancing affordable rates with its need for rapid expansion? What would you do differently?
OPPD continues to have lower rates than most utilities around the country. Additional generation, transmission and distribution investments are needed across our service territory to continue to provide reliable service and meet increasing demand from both existing and new customers. Board policy updates and responsible budget management have maintained affordability as OPPD grows for the future. I support additional work to reduce energy burden for people across our service territory.
Is OPPD moving too quickly, fast enough or not fast enough toward its net zero goals? What else should it be doing?
Major new renewable energy projects are providing clean power for increasing demand as our community grows. To achieve decarbonization, we need policy and planning for a responsible transition of existing fossil fuel assets to new clean energy resources. I support updated policy clarifying the timeline for accelerated decarbonization. I also support work to address environmental justice, and to support and encourage customers to choose electrified clean energy products in homes and businesses.
How would you rate OPPD’s performance in recovering from the July 31 storm, its biggest outage on record?
The unprecedented windstorm in July caused more damage to OPPD’s infrastructure than any previous event. The response from OPPD staff and mutual aid contractors demonstrated the importance of planning and preparation when responding to a community-wide emergency. While more customers experienced an outage than ever before, restorations also happened faster than during any previous storm. Additional investments to make our grid more resilient are needed and early steps are already in process.
John Hudson
This candidate did not respond to The World-Herald’s request for information.
Mike Cavanaugh
Party: Republican
Age (as of Oct. 1): 66
Home city: Omaha
Occupation: Retired Omaha Police lieutenant. Private security contractor
Family: Candy. Two stepsons
Elected offices held: Incumbent member OPPD Board
Education: UNO, bachelor's degree
Website: None
Why are you running for office?
I enjoy serving the Omaha area community. I feel I am doing a good job representing our ratepayers and would appreciate the chance to continue to serve.
What experiences qualify you for this office?
Through my professional, personal and elective experience, I feel I am effective in customer problem solving, working with both management and rank-and-file staff. OPPD is an extremely complex organization. I have learned so much serving on the board. I feel very comfortable serving as a leader.
What is your top priority?
The same it has been since first elected: low rates (residential rates are 27% below national average) and a dependable, safe power grid.
Is OPPD properly balancing affordable rates with its need for rapid expansion? What would you do differently?
With a forecasted doubling of electrical demand in the next several years, this is a very challenging time. With my concern for maintaining low rates and consistent, safe electric service, more than ever we need to keep a broad production portfolio. Production has to be dependable, as well as reasonably priced.
Is OPPD moving too quickly, fast enough or not fast enough toward its net zero goals? What else should it be doing?
We all want clean air, no question about it. Some members of our board want us to move more rapidly. I disagree. We need to move in that direction at a reasonable pace. The challenge is obviously compounded by the earlier mentioned forecasted huge increase in demand for power in our territory.
How would you rate OPPD’s performance in recovering from the July 31 storm, its biggest outage on record?
I am extremely proud of how our entire team immediately went into action and restoration mode. We all know, this was the largest, most challenging damage in our history. I also want to thank our affected customers for their patience and kind words of support for the OPPD repair workers. I am thankful there were no serious injuries to the public or employees.
Morgan Rye-Craft
Party: Nonpartisan
Age (as of Oct. 1): 30
Home city: Omaha
Occupation: Youth Mart program director, Partnership 4 Hope
Family: Ean Rye-Craft (assistant manager), one child
Elected offices held: None
Website: www.morganryecraftforoppd.com
Education: B.A. History, M.A. Critical and Creative Thinking, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Why are you running for office?
I am a lifelong Millard resident who understands the energy needs of our community. I am excited to take my passion for advocacy to the OPPD boardroom to ensure that our public power works for all residents in the district.
What experiences qualify you for this office?
As a nonprofit program director, I have extensive experience communicating effectively between teams to ensure problems are solved and systems are working efficiently. My M.A. in Critical and Creative Thinking and individual passion for working collaboratively uniquely qualify me for a position as a board director.
What is your top priority?
My top priority is to keep the lights on for OPPD customers and to keep our electricity affordable. We have seen increasingly severe storms impact our power and I want to make sure we are prepared for future storms by investing in smart infrastructure that will keep costs low and the lights on.
Is OPPD properly balancing affordable rates with its need for rapid expansion? What would you do differently?
“Affordable” depends on who you’re talking to. I work with former foster youth who are just starting out on their own, and every cent matters to them. I know they aren’t the only ones in our community who are struggling. It is important to keep bills as low as possible. Planning ahead is critical for cushioning the impact of rapid expansion. I would work hard to make sure OPPD residential customers aren’t footing the bill for the generation needs of a few large companies.
Is OPPD moving too quickly, fast enough or not fast enough toward its net zero goals? What else should it be doing?
The net-zero goal is honorable and OPPD has shown movement toward reaching that 2050 goal, but I would like more clarity on how the organization plans to get there. I’d like to see interim metrics regarding how OPPD plans to achieve the goal while balancing affordability and reliability. I am also a strong proponent of engaging the public in the process to make sure they are heard.
How would you rate OPPD’s performance in recovering from the July 31 storm, its biggest outage on record?
I want to thank OPPD’s workers who restored power as quickly as they could. Whether it’s load growth or increasing severity of storms, it's the board’s responsibility to make strategic investments to improve reliability. OPPD can underground key powerlines, invest in existing overhead lines, and ensure resource planning is a realistic projection of growth. Changes can be made with low to moderate impacts on rates if we plan ahead and take advantage of federal funding for energy infrastructure.
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