Please pay close attention to this month’s Carolina Country cover wrap. It contains your personal annual report, proxy card and registration card for Albemarle EMC’s Annual Meeting. The meeting will be held Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Perquimans County Recreation Department, located at 310 Granby St., Hertford.

Please detach the registration card on the front cover and present it at the registration table. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. and will end at noon when the meeting begins. Members will have the option of registering and voting for director candidates using our drive-through process or attending the traditional in-person meeting.

Incumbent Director Thelma Finch-Copeland will face challenger Ella Fields-Bunch for the Perquimans board seat. The two candidates’ speeches can be viewed at aemc.coop/annual-meeting. Incumbent directors Robbie Whitehead (Pasquotank) and Josiah “Tony” Webb (Chowan) will not face challengers.

Members who cannot attend the meeting can vote by proxy. Your completed proxy card must be received by close of business at Albemarle EMC’s office by Sept. 16. The mailing address is P.O. Box 69, Hertford, NC 27944.

Included in the annual report is a special message from Executive Vice President and General Manager Kevin Heath. The cooperative’s audited financial figures and statistics are located on the outside back cover. The profiles of nominated directors are located on the inside of the back cover.

Your board of directors, staff and employees are looking forward to speaking with you. Attendees will hear presentations regarding the state of their co-op. In addition box lunches will be available, and prize drawings will be conducted. Registrants do not need to be present to win the prize drawings, except for the prizes drawn for the most senior man and woman in attendance.