By Stella, Candidate for Kentucky Senate, District 20
Good morning, #D20.
Did you know that Owen Electric Cooperative was the very first electric co-op in rural Kentucky? It’s true. I discovered this fascinating history while reading Let There Be Light by David Dick (not sponsored: here’s the seller’s mission).
The rural electrification movement swept the nation between 1935 and 1937, and here in Kentucky, Owen County led the charge. On June 8, 1937, Owen Electric Cooperative, Inc. was officially formed with a bold vision: to bring electricity to the people, by the people.
Their first board of directors included:
- J.H. Satterwhite
- Lister Randell (President)
- Ira Kemper (Secretary/Treasurer)
- J.W. McElroy
- J.L. Tackett
Just a month later, on July 10, 1937, the co-op hired its first superintendent, Chester Roland, at $125 per month, with a mileage reimbursement capped at $35. Practical, but determined.
Their first official meeting? June 17, 1937, with 52 neighbors in attendance. Over the next two days, they collected 124 membership applications, each one backed by a $5 investment. Real people. Real commitment.
The Rural Electrification Administration (now the Rural Utilities Service) soon loaned the co-op $130,000 to build 130 miles of electric line. And on January 29, 1938, the first homes in Owen County were officially energized.
But they didn’t stop there. In less than two years, they extended service to:
- Grant & Gallatin Counties (Jan. 1939)
- Pendleton County (June 27, 1938)
- Scott and Campbell Counties (March 4, 1939)
- Boone, Kenton, & Carroll Counties (Dec. 1939)
💙 By then, Owen County RECC had become the largest electric cooperative in the state of Kentucky. 💙
And just like that, a shared dream of dignity, connection, and opportunity became the foundation for what we now call Senate District 20.
A sign not wasted on me.
We deserve more. If no one else will build it for us, we’ll build it ourselves.
Why does this matter today, July 10, 2025?
This week marks 88 years since they hired Chester Roland, their first superintendent. Eighty-eight years since rural Kentuckians looked around, rolled up their sleeves, and said: “We deserve more. If no one else will build it for us, we’ll build it ourselves.” Today’s Rural Kentucky deserves leaders who will fight for our needs… just like our ancestors did in the 1930s.
Picture Source: Owen County History Society.
And friends, if they could form a cooperative to bring power to rural homes in 1937,
Why can’t we come together to deliver high-speed internet in 2025?
Why can’t we come together to deliver high-speed internet in 2025?
Rural Kentuckians deserve answers regarding the status of Kentucky Wired and its future plans.
Let me tell you something personal.
I lived on the Owen/Franklin County line for five years. In 2020, I had to sell my home, not because I didn’t love it, but because the internet was too slow and unreliable to work from home as an educator during the pandemic. I couldn’t raise my daughter and keep my job without connectivity.
That was five years ago. Unfortunately, after speaking with my neighbors from Cedar Road, not much has changed.
We deserve better.
We deserve leadership like Owen County had in the 1930s:
Visionary. People-centered. Bold. It will not be easy, but my commitment runs deep, and I will do everything I can to advocate for our needs.
We need advocacy. We need transparency from our 20th district leaders. We need real infrastructure, real cooperation, and real solutions.
That’s why I’m running for Kentucky’s 20th Senate District.
If you want a senator who knows what it’s like to live in rural Kentucky, who’s had to choose between their home and their job, and who believes in local leadership, family-first policy, and cooperative action, I’m your candidate.
Let’s bring that same community spirit to today’s challenges, like broadband, childcare, healthcare, and economic opportunity.
Let’s build something that lasts for our kids, our neighbors, and our future.
I’m ready to lead.
Will you stand with me? 💙
Stella
Candidate for KY Senate, District 20
Source: David B. Dick, Let There Be Light: The Story of Rural Electrification in Kentucky (Plum Lick Publishing, 2008), ISBN 978-0975503737.
Stella for KY 