Less than one month after its first membership meeting, the Keep BT Local Coop elected a seven-member board of directors that represents a strong mix of legal, financial, technical, strategic, and operational talents.
The group, which formed in an effort to acquire Burlington Telecom as a member-owned cooperative, established by-laws on April 6, and on April 13 launched its first-ever election.
With the election of the board - along with the formation of key committees - the Coop is moving from the concept stage to putting in place the key elements that must happen in order to make a competitive bid to purchase and operate the world-class GigaBit fiber network.
The election, which was held through an online balloting system, had a turnout of close to 70 percent of the eligible members. Of the 152 members eligible to vote in the election, 104 cast ballots.
The newly elected Board represents a strong mix of legal, financial, technical, strategic, and operational talents establishing the coop as a strong contender for reclaiming Burlington Telecom's future.
The board elected officers are: Loredo Sola, chair; Andy Montroll, vice chair; Alan Matson, treasurer; and, Peter Jewett, secretary. The seven-member Board got right to work, establishing key committees, getting up to speed on BT's current financial and legal status, and more. Other Board members include Dave Mount, Deb Shannon, and Shay Totten.
"We have a lot of hard work before us. In the coming weeks and months this cooperative will develop the plan that will result in this state of the art fiber network to remain a locally-controlled business. At this point in time a Coop purchase of BT will ensure its future success." said Sola. "The Board and the current members will also be working to grow the membership of this cooperative to demonstrate that there is a deeply rooted desire in the broader community of Vermont to support local ownership of this GigaBit network."
So far, about 400 individuals and businesses have made equity share and loan pledges, reaching over halfway toward the Co-op's initial goal of $500,000. Our long-term goal is to get more than 1000 individuals and businesses join our cooperative.
The Keep BT Local Coop's mission is to create a Vermont Cooperative strong enough to purchase Burlington Telecom’s assets, greatly expand the customer base, and provide the best broadband services on the planet. The coop arose out of the concern that Burlington Telecom could be sold to a private company. Burlington Telecom currently is a critically important economic engine for Burlington, and under Coop control BT will become an engine driving economic development across the entire state.
