Holy Cross candidate Tvarkunas in his own words

My name is Patrick Tvarkunas and I am running for Holy Cross Energy’s northern district board of directors because I would like to help our co-op in the transition to 100% clean energy. Holy Cross has already made amazing strides by investing in 70% clean energy, but it is the last 30% which will demand outside-the-box, dynamic problem-solving.

As a successful local small-business entrepreneur with an educational background in biology and chemistry, I have been able to balance risks and rewards through strategic analysis of data and market trends while operating within a tight budget. The same dynamic thinking process applies more than ever to energy markets and the role as a director. Technological developments in demand-response, electric transportation, energy storage, and local renewable generation will demand innovative forward-thinking solutions, all while operating with fiduciary duty in the best interests of the co-op.

I am also running to promote local, distribution-side generation and storage which will create good-paying clean energy jobs. The Lake Christine fire of 2018 showed the vulnerabilities of transmission infrastructure when the upper Roaring Fork Valley was one power line away from a July 4 with no electricity. Thank goodness the lights stayed on, but that disaster was a huge eye-opener. Continuing decreases in the costs of local generation and storage, while factoring in the costs of catastrophic outages, can change the calculus for local, clean energy.

Personally, bringing my home to net-zero with efficiency upgrades and solar power generation has given me peace of mind and a solid return on investment that I feel can be scaled up as a co-op goal to increase grid resilience through decentralization. Why would we have all of our eggs in one basket when decentralized power can make all of us more secure and stimulate our local economy with clean energy jobs? Lastly, I feel like my ability to listen and communicate with others is the biggest asset I would bring to the board. I am fluent in Spanish and Portuguese which allows me to speak directly with nearly 100% of HCE members. As a democratically controlled co-op, communication is vital to the co-op’s successful operation and I look forward to the opportunity of working with the Holy Cross board, its employees, and every single one of its co-op members. That said, please feel free to reach out to me directly with questions or comments on my mobile at 970-471-6144, email at pptvark@gmail.com or go to fb.com/tvark4holycross for more information about my campaign. Thanks for your time and please make sure you fill out your ballot so it arrives at Holy Cross by June 2.

Patrick Tvarkunas

Eagle