Churchville Mayor Nancy Steedman made history September 1 when she was installed as the first woman president of the Municipal Electric Utilities Association of New York. “I am humbled and honored,” Mayor Steedman says. “I really have enjoyed my time on the executive committee. I look forward to being president.”
The president’s gavel was presented to Mayor Steedman by outgoing President Brent Bodine in Ellicottville during the 86th Annual MEUA Conference August 30 through September 2.
The MEUA was formed in July of 1930, when 14 New York municipalities met to seek solutions to a variety of electric issues. The MEUA continues to foster and advance the efficient operation of publicly owned and operated electric systems, the MEUA website states, including the production, distribution, conservation and prudent use of electric power and energy for public service.
Mayor Steedman says she began her work on the executive committee several years ago when she was approved as secretary. The MEUA vice-president/secretary then moves on to the vice-president/treasurer position, then president-elect and lastly to president.
As president, Mayor Steedman will work closely with MEUA executive director Tony Modafferi and will run monthly executive committee meetings, which take place in Syracuse. The MEUA also holds semi-annual conferences and she will be responsible for planning the annual conference next year.
Modafferi says he is proud to have Steedman as the new MEUA president. “She has done very well,” Modafferi says of Steedman’s three previous years on the executive committee. “She’s not afraid to get into learning about something new.”
The seven year commitment that executive committee members make – first as officers and then as trustees – is important, he says. “The energy industry is forever changing in New York State,” Modafferi explains. The time on the committee gives members, “the time to learn what is going on.”
Currently there are a total of 51 municipal systems across the state, Modafferi says, including four, which are co-ops. Churchville, Bergen, Holley and Spencerport villages all have their own municipal power and Modafferi says residents in municipal electric communities are fortunate to have the low-cost power they provide. “It’s important to have and important that they keep it,” Modafferi says.
The MEUA helps to ensure that municipals are, “using that very rich commodity to its maximum.” He additionally credits Mayor Steedman for being involved with the American Public Power Association(APPA). “She goes to those meetings and learns about what’s going on nationwide,” he says.
Modafferi says Mayor Steedman’s involvement in MEUA, APPA and energy conservation efforts are a, “blessing to her community.”
Village of Spencerport Municipal Electric Superintendent Owen McIntee currently serves as Vice-President-Treasurer on the MEUA Executive Committee. He says he congratulates Mayor Steedman on becoming MEUA’s first female president.
“I have had the distinct pleasure of working closely with President Steedman on many operational and regulatory issues over the past year,” McIntee says. “Her years of experience as a mayor and hard work as a previous committee member has brought a welcome new perspective to the organization. Not only does she serve her community well, she maintains that same common drive, supporting all MEUA communities across New York State.”
MEUA municipalities get most of their power from Niagara Falls, Mayor Steedman says, and she expects to be involved in some of the groundwork for the renegotiating of the MEUA contract which will be up in 2025.
Govenor Cuomo’s new Reforming the Energy Vision strategy will require that the state generates half its electricity needs from renewable energy by 2030. Hydropower is a renewable resource, Mayor Steedman notes, and MEUA,“will be looking into how the new guidelines affect us.”
