A recall move against five board members in the wake of a dropped merger bid at St. Helens Community Federal Credit Union failed last week.
The St. Helens, Ore., credit union said more than 175 people of its 15,000 members attended a special meeting on Sept. 4 and that a total of 1,431 ballots were received.
The recall vote was scheduled after 492 signatures were collected. It called for the recall of five of the seven board members: Marty Borrevik, Lea Chitwood, David Graham, Mike Hafeman and Richard Louie.
“The membership showed strong support of the board and voted against the recall initiative. In accordance with our bylaws, we gave a fair hearing to a small group of members who launched this petition,” said SHCU President/CEO Brooke Van Vleet.
“We are thankful that the majority chose to show appreciation for this dedicated group of volunteer board members who were elected to serve the membership,” Van Vleet said.
Van Vleet, a former senior manager at First Tech FCU, joined SHFCU in July and immediately announced that the board had decided to cancel its planned merger with the $134 million Wauna FCU of Clatskanie. Longtime CEO Jeff Schwarz had been dismissed in May.
