Governor Jay Nixon Recognizes Municipal Utilities in Missouri

Attending the signing of the proclamation for Public Power Week in Missouri were left to right: Susan Wendleton, Carthage; Tina Worley, Columbia; Steve Svec, Chillicothe (MPUA JOC Chair); Duncan Kincheloe, MPUA; Gov. Jay Nixon, Ken Johnson, Carthage; Chad Davis, Trenton; Connie Kacprowicz, Columbia; and Ewell Lawson, MPUA.

[October 5, 2009 – Jefferson City, MO] Governor Jay Nixon recently met with municipal utility leaders from across the state to proclaim October 4-10, 2009 as Public Power Week in Missouri. In recognizing the eighty-eight city-owned electric utilities in Missouri, Governor Nixon cited the importance that these utilities bring to their communities and to the state.

In meeting with the Governor, Steve Svec, General Manager of Chillicothe Municipal Utilities and Chairman of the Missouri Public Utility Alliance said, “Public Power Week is a chance for municipal utilities to articulate why public power is a good fit for their communities. We are absolutely dedicated to providing top-notch, reliable service and the lowest rates possible.”

In his proclamation, Governor Nixon cited local-control, customer service, reliability and economic development as reasons to honor municipal electric utilities as “valuable community assets that contribute to the well-being of local citizens” and “for their contributions to their communities and state.” He further pointed out that city-owned electric utilities “have been the proving ground for many of the state’s first renewable energy sources.”

“Municipal utilities in Missouri know how important it is to keep the lights on for the people in their communities, and we continue to find ways to do so with special dedication to reliability, safety and the environment,” said Duncan Kincheloe, CEO and General Manager of the Missouri Public Utility Alliance. “This was especially evident during the Southeast Missouri ice storms this year when most municipalities got their lights on, then worked collectively to assist others with theirs.”

Public Power Week is an annual event sponsored by the Missouri Public Utility Alliance (MPUA) in conjunction with the national activities of the American Public Power Association (APPA) in Washington, D.C. Both organizations are service organizations for community-owned electric utilities at the state and national levels, respectively.

The first electric utility West of the Mississippi was a not-for-profit municipal utility serving the citizens of Butler, Missouri in 1881. It is the nation’s oldest, continuously operated locally-controlled municipal electric utility. Today, municipal utilities serve about a million Missourians and are counted among the more than 2,000 other public electric utilities across the America that collectively provide electricity on a not-for-profit basis to 45 million Americans.

“We are proud to be a public power community,” said Ken Johnson, Vice President of the Board, Carthage Water & Electric. “Our focus is to make our communities a better place in which to live and work and it goes beyond serving customers. We serve the community.”