I raised my family in this valley. I served as Town Councilor and Mayor of Avon. I've spent years in the rooms where the hard decisions about our communities get made: water, wildfire, housing, and the cost of keeping the lights on.
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Holy Cross Energy is doing something rare. We're delivering some of the cleanest power in the country while keeping rates competitive. Lets keep it that way.
keeping Holy
Cross Affordable, Clean and Strong
Holy Cross Energy is one of the best-run electric cooperatives in the country. We're 85% clean, our rates are among the lowest in Colorado, and we got here without a single shareholder taking a cut along the way. That's not luck. It's the result of years of disciplined, member-focused leadership by a board that has kept this co-op pointed in the right direction even as the world around us has gotten harder and more expensive. I'm running to help continue that work, and I believe my experience makes me ready to contribute on day one.
​Affordability isn't a slogan for me, it's a non-negotiable. Holy Cross rates remain in the lowest third of all electric utilities in Colorado, and our investments in local clean energy have saved members millions of dollars compared to relying on volatile fossil fuel markets. That's worth protecting. I won't pretend rising costs aren't real.
Transmission charges from Xcel are climbing. Inflation has hit poles, wires, and transformers just like it's hit groceries. The board has had to make hard calls to keep the co-op financially healthy, and those calls deserve honest engagement, not slogans. What I can promise is this: every decision I weigh in on will start with the member writing the check, and I'll keep pushing to make sure affordability stays the first question we ask, not the last.
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Clean. Holy Cross is on pace to be one of the cleanest co-ops in America, and we're getting there without sacrificing reliability. Local, renewable energy is what makes our independence possible. Every kilowatt we generate ourselves is one we don't have to buy on a market that nobody in this valley controls. That's how our co-op holds the line on rates while the rest of the country watches their bills climb. I want to keep that momentum going. I understand the power supply contracts, the long-term resource plan, and what it will take to finish the job we started. This isn't the moment to hand the seat to someone still learning the basics.
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Strong. A strong co-op needs strong governance board members who show up prepared, ask the right questions, and know the difference between a good idea and a good decision. But strength means more than meetings. It means a co-op ready for what's coming. Wildfire risk in our valley is no longer a once-in-a-generation concern it's an annual reality, and the work of hardening our grid, managing vegetation, and partnering with local emergency services has to keep accelerating. Our outdoor recreation economy, the lifeblood of every town from East Vail to Aspen, depends on a co-op that takes drought, snowpack, and climate resilience seriously. I'll bring that focus to every decision, and I'll bring back what I learn so members can hold me accountable. No surprises, no closed doors, no decisions made over the heads of the people who own this co-op.
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Holy Cross is heading in the right direction. The board has earned our trust. The smartest thing we can do as members is keep that momentum going — and put it in the hands of someone ready to do the work from day one.
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I'd be honored to earn your vote.
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- Sarah Smith Hymes​
Affordability
Strong
Clean
Why I'm ready for the Job
I raised my family in this valley. I served as Mayor of Avon and on Town Council. I've spent years in the rooms where the hard decisions about our communities get made: water, wildfire, housing, and the cost of keeping the lights on.
Holy Cross Energy is doing something rare. We're delivering some of the cleanest power in the country while keeping rates competitive. That balance is hard, and it didn't happen by accident it happened because the board made disciplined, member-first decisions, one at a time.
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I'm running to keep that work going. To stabilize rates by generating more of our own power locally. To stay ahead of wildfire risk. To protect the outdoor economy that every job and small business in this valley depends on.
I'm ready to do this job well from day one.
Supporters
"The important work being done by Holy Cross has put us miles ahead of so many other communities/regions and I know that Sarah's wealth of knowledge and insights would be a wonderful addition to their Board."
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Tom Boyd, Eagle County commissioner
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This week, most Roaring Fork and Eagle Valley residents will get an electronic and mail-in ballot to elect trustees to the board of Holy Cross Energy, our local electric utility. This is one of the most important actions you can take on climate. Holy Cross has led the nation in providing clean, reliable electricity, hitting 85% renewables this year. It’s a stunning, almost unbelievable achievement. To keep that going, I’m supporting Dave Munk, one of the architects of that transition; this will be his last term and he deserves a chance to finish the job. I’m also backing Sarah Smith Hymes, who has extensive experience in government in the Eagle Valley as Avon mayor and town councilperson, and who has long worked on climate issues there. Please vote in the Holy Cross election!​
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Auden Schendler, Basalt
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Dear Voters for the Holy Cross Energy Board of Directors,
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As past and current mayors of the Town of Avon, a community served by Holy Cross Energy, we write to offer our enthusiastic support for Sarah Smith Hymes in her candidacy for the HCE Board of Directors. We have worked alongside Sarah for years in local government and community initiatives, and we can attest without reservation to her exceptional leadership, integrity, and dedication to public service. She brings a rare combination of vision and practical experience that would be a tremendous asset to this board.
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Sarah's commitment to clean energy is both principled and pragmatic. During her tenure as Avon Town Councilor and Mayor, she championed the adoption of HCE's 100% PURE program, supported energy efficiency code reforms, and helped advance regional public transit, all while serving on the board of our local water and wastewater utility, where she helped offset 100% of electricity use and guided a $93 million infrastructure bond. She also chaired the Climate Action Collaborative from its founding in 2016 through 2022, building the technical foundation and regional relationships that make her uniquely prepared to advance HCE's mission. Her experience across local government, water utilities, climate organizations, and the Eagle County Charter Academy reflects a breadth of financial, strategic, and policy acumen that will serve the board and its members well.
We believe that completing the transition to 100% clean, affordable energy requires leaders who understand both the opportunity and the responsibility. Sarah is that leader. She is motivated not by ideology but by a genuine conviction that clean energy protects our economy, our environment, and the health of current and future generations, and that Holy Cross Energy can show other co-ops across the country how it is done. We urge you and your fellow members to support Sarah Smith Hymes for the HCE Board of Directors.
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Tamra Nottingham, Amy Phillips, Jennie Fancher, Rich Carroll
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VOLUNTEER
