Navasota, TX- Rep. Kevin Brady held a town hall meeting for the employees of Mid-South Synergy on Thursday, January 23, 2014. Brady stopped by for a quick meeting with the Board of Directors about issues facing cooperatives in Washington, D.C., then a quick tour of Mid-South Synergy’s Navasota office and finally a town hall meeting with the co-op’s employees.
Several issues facing cooperatives were addressed bymembers of the crowd during a question-and-answer session held by the congressman. Topics such as EPAregulations on the use of coal to generate electricity, pension plans for small businesses and cooperatives and the role of the Rural Utilities Service in future loans for cooperatives were all tackled. Congressman Brady pledged his support for the cooperative in doing what he can in support of legislation that will keep the price of electricity down for everyone. He also pledged to fight the EPA’s “All But One” approach to environmental regulations on electricity generation, in favor of the “All of the Above,” approach, which includes coal, to help keep the cost of electricity down.
Mid-South Synergy CEO Kerry Kelton was Mr. Brady’s host for the event and was pleased with the way the event turned out. “I think he was excited for the opportunity to meet our people, face-to-face. Rural people from rural America, from his rural district, and I think it really impressed him to see how open, honest, and transparent we were and how anxious we were to hear what he was saying. I think it was beneficial for both sides just being able totalk and learn from each other, and I think Mid-South Synergy and our Members’ voice will grow stronger by the effective relationship we built with the congressman.“ said Kelton.
Congressman Brady was equally excited for the opportunity to address the concerns for such a large part of his district. “Because I never moved to Washington, I hold more than 50 town hall meetings a year to hold myself accountable to those I work for. I appreciate Mid- South making it easier to listen to their workers who have real concerns about Washington harming their retirement plans, new White House regulations driving up electricity costs, the federal debt and the president’s new health care law,” he said.
