All of Tri”

County’s board should have to repay what they stole from members.

Last week our justice system showed it can work for all of us – not just corrupt fat cats.
The Tri-County Electric Cooperative chairman was indicted for stealing more than $380,000 from his member customers.
 The State newspaper deserves recognition for uncovering this massive abuse of Tri-County Co-opertive members, not just by the chairman but his board.
Our state lawmakers deserve credit as well for empowering the Office of Regulatory Staff to oversee the electric cooperatives to prevent their executives from robbing their member-owners.
A Calhoun County grand jury charged Heath Hill, 69, a Lower Richland farmer, with taking $80,000 in cash and $300,000 in power lines and electric service for himself and his family.
With the new law, co-op board pay and benefits must be disclosed, ORS Director Nanette Edwards told the Chronicle. The ORS will audit them for complying with these requirements.  
“The new SC Code Section 33-49-615(A) requires cooperatives to annually disclose on their websites all compensation or benefits by category paid to or provided for board members during the previous calendar year,”  Edwards said.
Tri-County Electric serves southern Lexington County.
An investigation by The State found that Tri-County’s part-time board members were giving themselves high per meeting pay, lavish trips and perks while their customer paid some of the highest rates in SC.
Tri-County board members raised their pay to more than triple the national average, gave themselves health and life insurance plans and created pensions paying each of them $81,000.
Hill made almost $79,000 as part-time chairman.
 Special prosecutor David Pascoe and the State Law Enforcement Division’s investigation produced the indictments.
We trust Pascoe and the state grand jury will not let up on the scandal at Tri-County. The rest of the board is culpable, too.
All board members should be required to repay their members for what they stole from them.
– JerryBellune@yahoo.com