Barbara Sims Collier
Vote Barb C for Cobb EMC
I believe that I can bring valuable insight to the Cobb EMC Board of Directors; I would appreciate your vote and would make it count.
Barb’s Platform
Member Involvement and Transparency: The genesis of EMCs was to support rural communities with electricity and related services when this was unaffordable from the for-profit electric utilities. With their collective sacrifices, investments and vision, EMCs improved the quality of their Members’ lives and those for generations to come. That legacy is about working together to achieve a higher quality of life for Member-Owners and future generations. With over 200,000 members, the nine Directors on the Board serve as your district representatives. Votes and representation matter. Because of the small percentage of members who vote for the Board of Directors, Collier would like to promote greater participation, with more voices heard and new ideas introduced. Opportunities exist outside monthly board meetings, recycle days, and the Annual Meeting Roundup. The digital communication footprint for Cobb EMC is expanding and reaching more Members, but currently less than 7% of approximately 200,000 Members vote. Collier believes in encouraging Member involvement and promoting awareness of Cobb EMC’s community services beyond simply providing electricity.
Rates: Cobb EMC has the lowest rates in the state of Georgia. To further lower Member costs, Collier plans to promote energy efficiency in homes to reduce their usage, especially during the summer and winter months. This reduces the need to renew expensive fossil fuel power contracts. Collier also proposes free energy efficiency audits for high usage members.
Environmental and Equity Focus: Environmental responsibility is critical for future generations; electric utilities are a major source of pollution. Although Cobb EMC’s strategic goals include environmental and clean energy goals to be met by 2030, successful milestones are not shown on the website. Collier believes that Cobb EMC needs to establish incremental milestones or targets that advance and promote renewable energy and efficiency to meet those 2030 strategic goals and publish the results quarterly. Collier supports Cobb EMC’s advances to encourage electric vehicle use but feels even more can be done. Collier would like to see a partnership between Cobb Department of Transportation, Cobb County Government, and Georgia Tech (Smart Cities Project) to
implement electric charged vehicles for public transportation and support the conversions of Cobb County school buses to electric vehicles. Collier believes such a plan would be a
win-win for Cobb County, Cobb EMC and its Members by making our neighborhoods cleaner and encouraging the use of clean electric energy for transportation.
Outreach: There are many Member communities that have been left out of energy conversations and decision-making processes. The open exchange of ideas helps us identify our limitations, recognize our opportunities, highlight our strengths and find viable solutions. Collier’s vision is that Cobb EMC can become the benchmark for the forty other EMCs in Georgia and beyond by creating an EMC culture responsive to the ideas of all Members.
For the community, Collier has used her expertise as an administrative coordinator for Cobb EMC Forum to acquire 501(c)(3) status for the organization and develop an onboarding guidebook for those who are considering community advocacy. In addition to her administrative skills, she has initiated and will deliver an EMC Leadership Academy aimed at community communication and motivating interest in the Board of Directors. She has received training for the Climate Reality Project in order to support green and clean energy program events and activities. Although not a member of the Sierra Club (Atlanta Chapter), she supports whatever activities and fundraising campaigns she can. To be aware of and share the services and benefits of Cobb EMC, Collier attends the monthly Cobb EMC Board meetings.
You may not know it, but you are actually an owner of your electricity company, not just a customer. As an owner, your vote determines who represents you in leadership.
- Members will begin to receive details for voting during the week of 7/10. The info will be included with your paper bill or electronic statement.
- The annual meeting is September 16th.
- We need your support, every vote counts.
Get In Touch
Let us know if you need a ride to vote at the annual election, if you would like to volunteer, or have questions.