On Thursday, May 21st, current Yampa Valley Electric Board chair Tom Fox announced his decision to withdraw from the re-election race. “Withdrawing from the re-election race was an incredibly difficult choice. When I filed my application in April, I fully intended to campaign and, if re-elected, to continue serving the board. After a great deal of reflection with my family and loved ones, I feel this is the right decision. My belief in the work YVEA is doing and planning remains as strong as ever, which makes stepping away all the more challenging.”
Tom Fox has served on YVEA’s Board of Directors for over 15 years, including 9 years as the Board’s president. Prior to joining the board, Tom Fox founded Fox Construction, Inc., one of the most prominent construction companies in Steamboat Springs.
“We are incredibly thankful for the work Tom has done over the past 15 years. He helped us usher in a new era with a new power provider starting in 2028 and helped realign our focus on improving and investing in our system,” said Scott Blecke, CEO of YVEA. “Tom’s dedication to the co-op, employees, and members has been unwavering. While we will miss his leadership on the board, we respect this difficult decision he needed to make and wish him and his family the best in the future.”
With ballots being sent out on Friday, Fox’s name will still appear on ballots. Any votes received for Fox will remain as final votes and may not be changed. YVEA asks members to make their selections carefully in order to avoid casting votes that won’t count. If your ballot has been filled out, but not submitted, members may come to the Annual Meeting and receive a new ballot in order to vote.
“Though there is still much to accomplish at YVEA, I am confident in the company’s direction and leadership,” Fox said. “This was ultimately a personal, family decision. While I am saddened to leave, I am incredibly proud of all we have achieved together as an organization.”
In accordance with Yampa Valley Electric Association’s bylaws, ballots are being mailed May 22nd, 2026. This year, YVEA has a contested election for District 6, and members are being asked to cast their ballots in one of three ways - by mail, electronically, or in person at the Annual Meeting.
If casting a vote via mail or electronically, ballots must be sent to our third-party ballot counter, Survey Ballot Systems, no later than June 18th, 2026. If members would prefer to vote in person, they may do so at our Annual Meeting on June 24th, 2026. The Annual Meeting will be held at YVEA’s Steamboat Headquarters, located at 2211 Elk River Road, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487. Registration for the Annual Meeting will begin at 3:00 pm, and the meeting will begin at 3:30 pm.
On May 22nd, a link to an online voting platform will be emailed to all members with a valid email address on file. The email will come from noreply@directvote.net. In addition, there will be a QR code on the paper ballot inner envelope with an individual access code so members can vote electronically if they missed the email with instructions. There will also be a “Vote Now” button available in members’ SmartHub accounts starting on May 22nd.
YVEA would like to remind members that ballots left in our payment drop boxes or combined with payments will be invalidated. If a member votes more than once or uses both an electronic method and a paper ballot, those ballots will also be invalidated. To be valid and counted, each ballot must be signed by the member whose name is on the mailing label. If it is a joint membership (two names on the label), only one member can vote. If voting by paper ballot, a signature on the return envelope is required. Each member can vote only once, by email, by mail, or at the Annual Meeting. If multiple ballots are received, all ballots by that member will be invalidated.