PJECC Update from the CEO
To our valued members,
This week, a lawsuit was filed by Petit Jean Electric members Bessie Helms, Lonnie Stripling, Roseann Vaughan, David Cook, and Howard Gorter who filed through his limited liability company HMG Choctaw LLC.
The suit names me, members of our board of directors, and members of our staff. While we respect every member’s right to raise concerns, I want you to know that we strongly dispute the claims being made and will respond accordingly through legal channels.
Let me be clear: I would much rather use the cooperative’s time, energy, and resources to fulfill our mission of delivering safe, reliable, and affordable electricity to our members. But this legal action leaves us no choice. We will defend the integrity of our work, our people, and the decisions made to bring essential services to our communities.
Since my first day as CEO, I’ve worked alongside a team committed to serving you, our members. One of our biggest undertakings has been the buildout of fiber internet. This wasn’t about profit. It was about access. We brought fiber to rural areas that commercial providers ignored. The places where kids needed to do homework, where families needed to access telehealth, and where reliable internet wasn’t a luxury, it was a lifeline. We did this with the help of grants, national partners, and member support.
I stand by the decision to bring this technology to our members. What I will own is this: we didn’t always communicate those decisions as clearly as we should have. That’s on me. But mismanagement? That accusation is false.
The rates set by Petit Jean were reviewed by the Arkansas Public Service Commission and found to be just and reasonable. Still, we understand that many members are feeling financial pressure, and we are here to help, as always. Our member services staff works every day with members to explain bills, manage usage, and find ways to save.
We are also taking steps to improve how we communicate. We’ve promoted staff to help lead new efforts around member engagement and transparency. And I hope you’ll join us at our Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 22, where I’ll speak directly to these issues and share how we’re bringing more of your feedback into everything we do.
I want to be absolutely clear: this cooperative belongs to you. And I am committed to ensuring that Petit Jean continues to operate in the spirit of the Seven Cooperative Principles—especially transparency, democratic member control, and concern for community.
We will get through this. And we will keep working every day to earn and keep your trust.
Sincerely,
Michael Kirkland
CEO, Petit Jean Electric Cooperative
