Rico resident wins San Miguel Power board seat in District 3

A Rico resident will take a seat on the San Miguel Power Association board after Joanna Yonder defeated incumbent David Alexander in District 3, a result that gives Dolores County another voice in decisions that can shape electric reliability, rates and long-term system planning. Yonder won with 228 votes to Alexander’s 178 after 406 validated ballots were counted.

The District 3 seat reaches far beyond Rico. SMPA’s district map shows the seat covering parts of Montrose, San Miguel, Ouray, Dolores and San Juan counties, including Dunton, Norwood, Placerville, Trout Lake, Rico and Sawpit. That matters in a cooperative that serves all or parts of seven western Colorado counties, where a board decision can ripple across long mountain stretches, isolated neighborhoods and communities that depend on steady service through winter storms and wildfire season.

SMPA is a consumer-controlled electric cooperative overseen by a seven-member board, and each director serves a four-year term. Members elect directors by secret ballot at the annual meeting or through mail-in and online voting. This year’s ballots were due by the close of business on June 3, with in-person voting available June 4 before the 87th Annual Meeting of the Members in Nucla, which was held in person and online. SMPA said the meeting included gifts, prizes, booths, a dinner for in-person attendees and a $10 bill credit for all member attendees.

The election also settled District 6, where 350 validated ballots were received and Val Szwarc edged Tricia Savage 179-171. Together, the races show how narrow local turnout can be in a cooperative system where a handful of votes can decide who helps set priorities for service territory that spans rugged terrain and long distribution lines.

For Rico, Yonder’s win is especially consequential because her district includes the town and nearby communities where outages, line maintenance and backup power planning are not abstract issues. SMPA’s 2024 annual report lists 15,462 meters, 56 employees and 1,881 miles of line, underscoring the scale of the system she will help oversee. The cooperative has also been rebuilding the Red Mountain Electrical Reliability and Broadband Improvement Project, a transmission line originally built in 1928 to keep backup power flowing for Ridgway and Ouray. SMPA said another section of that line was successfully rebuilt in September 2025, including new fiberglass poles near populated areas of Ouray.

Yonder’s campaign materials said she has lived in Norwood, on Hastings Mesa and now in Rico, and emphasized representation, outreach and consensus-building across the district. In a service area where members are spread across mountain passes and county lines, the seat she just won is one of the few direct levers local residents have over how their utility plans for reliability, resilience and the next round of board decisions.