Clay County Electric Cooperative Board of Director Candidates
We featured a three month series, “Meet Your Directors”, which invited you to learn more about each of the nine members who serve on Clay County Electric Cooperative Board of Directors. This series began with the April issue and concluded in this June issue of Arkansas Living which featured three members of the Board in each issue. With the election fast approaching, we are featuring the new candidates who have chosen to run for the Clay County Electric Cooperative Board of Directors. We invite you to learn more about each of the new candidates running for the board of directors.
Roy Causbie and his wife, Glenda (King) Causbie reside in Dalton with their daughter, Claire. The Causbies have lived in the Dalton area for about thirty years. They have many pets including dogs, cats, fish, chickens, peafowl, and ducks.
Mr. Causbie is a graduate from Highland High School and Arkansas State University. After college, he became a high school social studies teacher and later became the high school principal. Mr. Causbie also worked as a Standard Assurance Specialist for the Arkansas Department of Education. He owned and operated the Eleven Point General Store. He currently is the Director of State Monitoring for the Arkansas Department of Education.
Mr. Causbie is a member of the Dalton Church of Christ, and a board member of the Dalton Volunteer Fire Department.
Mr. Causbie enjoys spending time with his family. His hobbies include gardening, jogging, and reading history-related books. He did read the Harry Potter series as requested by his daughter and to his surprise, he actually enjoyed the series. He follows the St. Louis Cardinals and the Arkansas Traveler baseball teams. He also enjoys attending local theatrical productions, high school basketball and baseball games, and riding roller coasters. He collects history-related books, Arkansas State University memorabilia and St. Louis Cardinal memorabilia. He and his family enjoy going to the beach and to Branson; he has a long bucket list of places to travel including Ireland when he retires.
Mr. Causbie states that he has been a member of Clay County Electric Cooperative for the past 30 years and he plans to continue to reside within the Clay County Electric territory for the remainder of his life. His motivation to run for the Clay County Electric Board comes from his appreciation of the rich history and contributions of rural electric cooperatives; and he wants to be a part of the decision making process that will impact the lives of the members that rely on Clay County Electric Cooperative services.
Thomas Dildine and his wife, Gerene, reside near Ravenden Springs. They have six children, Vera Frances, Tom Dildine Jr., Melissa Vandergriff, Margie Brown, Alan Dildine, Dane Patterson, and eighteen grandchildren.
Mr. Dildine attended West Ottawa High School in Holland, Michigan. Before he graduated, he moved with his family to Arkansas where he received his General Education Development Diploma. He attended Williams Baptist College and later graduated small engine trade school in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Some of Mr. Dildine’s previous jobs include riverboat, feed store, farm supply, water and wastewater operator, school bus driver, and automotive manufacturer. In 1983, he opened Tom’s Small Engine Repair Shop which he still owns and operates today. He is known for his patience and fixing things that no one else would attempt.
Mr. Dildine is a member of the Ravenden Spings First Baptist Church where he serves as Sunday School Superintendent. He is a volunteer fireman, first responder, and Constable of James Creek Township. He also served on the Oak Ridge School Board until 2010.
Mr. Dildine enjoys attending church, reading the Bible, spending time with his family, and working. His hobbies include fishing and hunting. He reads trade magazines, shop magazines, and westerns.
Mr. Dildine stated serving on the Clay County Electric Board of Directors would allow him to serve others. He said he enjoys volunteering, helping, and problem solving which he believes would be good attributes for a board member.
Dennis Haines resides in Corning with his wife of 47 years. They have one son, Jason, six grandchildren, and one great grandchild.
Mr. Haines graduated from New Madrid High School and attended South East Missouri College in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. After returning home, he began farming with his family. In the late 70’s, Mr. Haines relocated to the Corning area and began farming in Clay County. He left farming and began working as a salesman for Harold Implement. He now is retired and is the owner of Haines Lawn Services; he stays busy mowing yards and assisting on his brother-in-law’s farm when needed.
He is a member of the First Christian Church where he currently serves as Elder, adult Sunday school teacher, and song leader. For many years, he has volunteered at the Corning 4th July ticket stand and the Corning Harvest Festival. He also currently serves on the Clay County Quorum Court.
Mr. Haines enjoys attending church, spending time with his family and friends. His hobbies include fishing, duck hunting, and coon hunting. His favorite past time is jug fishing on the Mississippi River and he enjoys watching fishing tournaments on television. After catching all the fish, Mr. Haines enjoys frying it up for his family and friends.
Mr. Haines has served more than thirty years on the Clay County Quorum Court; and he believes the knowledge he has obtained from serving on the quorum court would be valuable for serving on the Clay County Electric Board of Directors.
Eric Leonard resides in Corning with his wife, Sarah, and their two sons, Clayton and Carter.
Mr. Leonard was an honor graduate from Corning High School in 1997. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture business from Arkansas State University in 2001 with an emphasis in farm management. He is a fourth generation farmer. After college, he returned home to farm with his family. In 2017, Mr. Leonard began a poultry farm business; he currently operates 20 poultry houses and a poultry litter business.
Mr. Leonard is a member of the Success Church of Christ. He currently serves on the Arkansas Rice Council Board of Directors, and the Arkansas Rice Farmers Board of Directors. He was the past Chairman of the Arkansas Rice Council Promotion Committee. Mr. Leonard also served on the USA Rice Council Board of Directors and the USA Rice Domestic Promotion Committee. He has coached his sons’ tee ball and minor league teams and currently helps where needed.
Mr. Leonard enjoys spending time with his family. His hobbies include fishing and watching the St. Louis Cardinals. He also reads poultry and farming industry magazines and articles. He and his family enjoy going to Norfork Lake at Mountain Home for vacation.
Mr. Leonard said he would like to serve on the Clay County Electric Board of Directors to be the voice for the poultry industries of Randolph and Clay Counties. He has always admired the hard work the Cooperative does to provide everyone with affordable electricity; and he understands how important Clay County Electric is to our communities. The electric industry and electric grid has always been of interest to him. Mr. Leonard said he would like the chance to serve on the Board of Clay County Electric Cooperative to represent its members.