February 9, 2008

Four Incumbents Re-elected to FKEC Board

Incumbents Dr. Jim Boilini, Craig Belcher, H.B. Barrett and Michael Puto have been re-elected to serve three-year terms on the Florida Keys Cooperative Board of Directors.

All four candidates were unopposed and were elected in accordance with FKEC bylaws, which state, "in the event only one qualified member from a district is so nominated, that member shall be declared elected in which no election need be held for such office."

FKEC's Board of Directors has the authority to establish policies and review operational procedures to promote a progressive, financially-sound utility. The Board has nine seats, and each director must be a member in his or her voting district. Directors must be nominated and elected by their home district's members according to FKEC bylaws.

Dr. Jim Boilini

Boilini represents District 1, Key Largo, and was originally appointed to the board in 2004 to fill a vacant seat. In 2005 he was elected to serve a full three-year term.

Boilini moved to Key Largo in the mid-1970s following his graduation from Indiana University where he earned a Doctorate in Optometry. Boilini has owned a private Optometry practice in Key Largo since 1975 and has been an active member in many community organizations such as the Lion's Club, Rotary, and Chamber of Commerce.

He is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Mariners Hospital, President and founding board member of Jacobs Aquatic Center, Chairman on the Board for Keys Region for Community Bank of Florida, and vice-president of the Take Stock in Children Scholarship Fund, among other positions. In 2006 he was named "Man of the Year" for the Upper Keys People's Choice Awards presented by Sun 103.

Boilini lives in Key Largo with his wife, Mary Lynn. They have two daughters, Christina and Gina.

Craig Belcher

Belche represents District 2, Tavernier. He was re-elected to FKEC's Board of Directors in 2005 after resigning at the end of 2003 when he sold his home in Key Largo and moved to Tavernier. Per FKEC bylaws, directors must reside in the district they are elected to represent.

Belcher originally joined FKEC's Board of Directors in 1999 and served as Vice President of the Board for one year. He has also served on the board's Engineering and Operations Committee and Human Resource Committee. Belcher acquired his Credentialed Cooperative Director Certificate by attending five courses and passing the exam within the first year of his service on the board.

Twenty years ago, Belcher opened Craig's Restaurant on Plantation Key, where he now lives with his wife Jeanette, their son Craig Moses, and her daughters Krissy and Brittany.

H.B. Barrett

Barrett represents District 3, Islamorada. He was originally elected to FKEC's Board of Directors in 2002 after serving FKEC's Members Charitable Trust volunteer board for eight years. He was then re-elected in 2005.

Barrett recently completed the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Board Leadership Program and had previously earned his Credentialed Cooperative Director Certificate.

In 1984, Barrett moved to the Keys from North Carolina. He and his wife Grace later founded a Keys-wide business forms distribution company specializing in computer forms and serving major resorts and local governments.

Barrett has been a Rotarian for 25 years and is an active member and past president of the Upper Keys Rotary Club. He is also a First State Bank Upper Keys Regional Board Member, a board member of Crimestoppers of the Florida Keys, and past board member for the Key West Hotel/Motel Association.

Mike Puto

Puto represents District 4, Marathon. He has been an FKEC director since 1993 and is the longest serving member of the board. Puto is Secretary of the Board and also serves as Chairman of the Engineering and Operations Committee and as a member of the Human Resources Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee.

Puto is currently Marathon City Manager. He has served as both a commissioner and mayor of Monroe County and is the longest serving active volunteer firefighter in the county, with 42 years of continuous service. He is a Certified Emergency Manager and is Chairman of the Fishermen’s Hospital Advisory Board. He also served as a board member for Fishermen's Hospital Association Board for 28 years. In addition, Puto is a past board member for the United Way of Monroe County, the Guidance Clinic of the Middle Keys, and the Pigeon Key Foundation. He also serves on the board of the 100 Club of Monroe County.

Puto is the recipient of more than 50 community awards, including Volunteer Firefighter of the Year for Monroe County, a county-wide honor bestowed by the Monroe County Fire Chiefs' Association. He has also been honored in the past as both Person of the Year and Person of the Decade by the Marathon Jaycees.