Having known Gene Sperry, member of the IREA board of directors,
for 18 years, I appreciate and admire his 15-year service as
Woodland Park city councilman and mayor pro tem.
In addition I admire his service as the director on several
boards and organizations: Teller County Habitat for Humanity,
Teller County Jail Authority, Ute Pass Lions Club, Northeast Teller
County Fire Protection District, Chamber of Commerce and St.
Francis Hospital. As well, Gene is also a long-time businessman in
Woodland Park.
In all these varied leadership capacities, across a broad
spectrum of diverse organization in Colorado (including almost 20
years as both strategic planner and thinker for the IREA board for
District 3), Gene has been effective in successfully guiding
high-impact organizations.
Integral to this success has been his exceptional judgment and
intuitive feel for making correct high-impact decision. Perhaps
what sets Gene apart is his natural leadership style and utter
bedrock integrity.
For example, when we served on council together, Gene always
placed the public welfare and trust in local government absolutely
ahead of personal interest or inclination. He has consistently been
selfless in deference to broader, more enlightened
community-partnering goals such as effective electrical-energy
generation and transmission as an IREA board member.
Indeed, this is a recurring them in Gene’s life. He has always
placed the needs of the organization and constituents as his
overarching objective. Many times it was Gene who inspired others
to support a variety of worthwhile community charities. It was his
deep abiding faith to serve others in need that earned him
widespread community favor and support.
All in all he has been a true gentleman who sometimes politely
disagrees on principle but in such a way as to command respect for
his low-key but effective human-relations based leadership style.
Gene is a can-do person who gets along well with others, regardless
of circumstances, personalities or issues.
Gene’s IREA institutional knowledge, experience and personal
contacts within the electrical-generation industry benefit IREA
customers directly and significantly when it comes to actually
producing the most affordable, sustainable electric energy
product.
For example, I know of three occasions when Gene’s seasoned
leadership resolved significant power issues for my neighborhood.
He did this with quiet, practiced efficiency, not even asking for
thanks in what sometimes can be a thankless job as an IREA board
member.
While some may talk about change (with a green agenda for
America) Gene has quite successfully surmounted energy generation
and sustainment issues for IREA customers. Gene is the perfect
bridge to the future with his steady but bold, progressive,
versatile and imaginative leadership for the way ahead. His latest
efforts to capitalize on his experience on behalf of IREA customers
involve the construction and start-up this fall of a new coal-based
Comanche III power plant that will help ensure affordable and
sustainable energy for IREA customers, a new state-of-the-art
metering system that is more customer-friendly and cost-effective.
Gene champions capital-credit rebates and renewable energy options
with the constituents in mind.
Gene Sperry clearly merits your respect and vote in the upcoming
IREA election. A vote for Gene is a vote for the future well-being
of all IREA customers when it comes to receiving affordable and
sustainable electric energy that is customer-focused.
John Schenk
Woodland Park