Two new board members sat at the table during the monthly Valley Electric Association meeting Wednesday morning.

A bylaw change to expand the VEA board membership from four to six for the first time since the creation of the coop in 1964, resulted in the creation of two new districts.

The Pahrump district, represented by Brent Crowther, was carved up into a district five -- including areas in Clark County like Sandy Valley and Mountain Springs -- and district six, which includes areas in Pahrump north of Highway 372.

David Dawson was chosen to represent district six in balloting counted Monday. Twelve percent of the 6,362 members in district six, 771 people, cast ballots, mostly mail-in ballots. Dawson finished ahead of Dean Craig and John Crane.

Dave Lowe of Sandy Valley was the only candidate running in district five. Sixty-five ballots were cast, 9 percent of the 751 eligible members in district five.

* Dawson retired to Pahrump two years ago after 30 years of working in management and strategic planning for Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, Calif. He is now working for the company again on a short term contract.

Dawson became a VEA ambassador after moving to Pahrump, where he became impressed with the organization, under Chief Executive Officer Tom Husted. Dawson was heavily involved in the Conservation Renewable Energy Committee, the merger of the conservation and renewable energy committees.

"Since coming to Pahrump I wanted to find someplace where I could fit into the community to support, and this, being part of the board of directors representing district six, was a step in the right direction," Dawson said.

He plans to attend a training session sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in St. George, Utah.

Dawson said VEA is focused on the big picture, instead of using tunnel vision. The VEA board is working on a strategic plan for the next few years.

"They've got the broad picture and they're thinking out of the box. What can we do in the future to make it a good thing for our membership?"

Dawson said he likes the concern for members living on fixed incomes. He also wants to encourage conservation, like getting residents to convert to more enrgy efficient light bulbs, putting on window shades and resetting thermostats.

* Lowe has been retired for 13 years. When he retired, Lowe traveled around the state as an appeals referee hearing unemployment and disability claims for the Nevada Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation in Carson City.

Lowe has been on a number of government boards. He is a member of the citizens advisory council for Sandy Valley, which advises the Clark County Commission.

Lowe represents a large, but lightly populated area. But the importance of that area in the distribution network became evident when a 230 kilovolt power line between Goodspring and Sandy Valley snapped on the cold morning of Jan. 13, 2007, probably after being shot by vandals, knocking out power for over 12 hours to 19,000 people in Pahrump, Mountain Springs and Sandy Valley.