RED SPRINGS — Four incumbents were ousted and history was made during Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation’s 77th annual meeting of the members on Thursday at Givens Performing Art Center on the campus of The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Only one incumbent survived out of five running, and a vacant seat was filled.

Autry Lowry won the District 1 seat, replacing Herbert Clark, and Ronnie E. Hunt took the District 3 seat, replacing Ronald Hammonds. Larry Jones and Carl Pevia won seats from William Hollingsworth and Jacqueline Hunt Davis in District 6. Members also elected James Hardin, District 6, to fill the remaining two years of an open board seat. Spencer Locklear, District 5, was the only re-elected incumbent.

Immediately after the business meeting, the board of directors met for its annual organizational meeting, during which Madie Rae Locklear was elected as the first female chairman of the board.

“I’m very excited to know that I’m the first since this coalition started in 1940. I’m honored my fellow board members entrusted me with this,” Locklear said. “I’ve always wanted to be chairman but the opportunity never came.”

Locklear believes the reason so many incumbents were voted out was because members were protesting the board’s decision to move corporate headquarters from Red Springs to the COMtech site near Pembroke.

Other officers elected for the coming year are James Hardin, vice chair; Carl Pevia, secretary; and Ronnie E. Hunt, treasurer.

This is the first time Lowry, Hunt, Jones and Pevia have served on LREMC’s board and Spencer’s first re-election to the board. Hardin previously served on the Lumbee River EMC board for 33 years.

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Staff Report