Living in the northern portion of the township of Wyoming, Todd Pamperin, of Tigerton, said he knows how important electricity is to rural areas. That importance was one of the reasons he decided to run for a seat on the Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative’s Board of Directors.

“Electricity is one that I think a lot of people take for granted,” Pamperin said. “I wanted to know more than just flipping a switch on and there’s electricity.”

Another reason he ran for a seat on the CWEC Board of Directors was to give back to the co-op members in his district – District 2.

The election for the vacant seat was contested, as Nathan Reichle was also on the ballot. Pamperin said he knew Reichle and had a good relationship with him. When the results of the election were announced at the CWEC 87th Annual Meeting, Pamperin had received 195 votes, while Reichle had received 149.

Since Reichle had run for a seat on the board the previous year but was defeated, Pamperin said he was surprised when he heard he had received the most votes.

“I thought that the second time through, that it was going to be his (Reichle) chance,” Pamperin said.

Pamperin said he plans to bring to the board the things that he learned from his parents – honesty, being fair, and sometimes having to do things that aren’t easy choices.

He added, “My time on the township of Wyoming Town Board really made this choice a little easier, knowing that sometimes you have to make decisions that don’t always work for everyone else.” 

Pamperin grew up in the area, but after high school, he attended a trade school in Chicago for horticulture. He eventually moved back to the area. Since then he worked in a greenhouse for a few years, at Mills Fleet Farm for 10 years, and then Great Lakes Veneer as a yard foreman and a log buyer.

“After 14 years there, I had built up a small horticulture business and I jumped into it in 2007,” Pamperin said. “It had everything to do with putting in lawns, food plots. I had a small lawncare business fertilizing lawns, pruning trees, all the stuff that wasn’t work. It was more I enjoyed getting up every day. I did that from 2007 until last weekend (mid-April). I sold it to a kid who’s been working for me part-time.”

To become familiar with the ins and outs of CWEC, Pamperin said he plans to learn how the co-op works “from the ground up.”

“My plans are to talk to the guys in the shop,” Pamperin said. “Talk to everyone to find out what it takes to get from point A to B to C. I think that as a whole that will help me understand a lot of the decisions we have to make.”

This falls in line with advice that his father and grandpa gave him, “Learn every day. Try to become a productive side of society.”

Pamperin said he is looking forward to serving on the board, and he has one simple goal, “To serve my district well.”

“To know that I am their voice,” Pamperin said. “To really become knowledgeable on the whole aspect of Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative.”