Holy Cross Electric Candidates Hymes and Munk Seek Board Seats in Glenwood Springs

The flag dips to half-staff, a silent instruction that cuts through the crisp mountain air. It’s a visual command that demands stillness, a moment where the living pause to acknowledge the dead. But look closer at the service in Glenwood Springs and you’ll see something else happening. You see young people — Scouts from Troop 225, cadets from the high school JROTC — standing in formation, executing drills with a precision that feels almost anachronistic in an era of casual dress and digital distraction.

Here’s the thing though: the tribute wasn’t just about the past. It was about the present. It was about who is standing next to whom when the bugle plays Taps.

Mike Harman, past exalted ruler of Glenwood Springs Elks Lodge No. 2286, watched it all unfold. He didn’t just see a ceremony; he saw a community bonding over shared values. The Scouts raised the flag. A cadet sang the National Anthem. Another delivered a speech that, while not quoted in detail, clearly carried weight. Then came the three-shot volley, the 21-gun salute that echoes off the canyon walls; and the final, haunting note of the bugle. It’s heartwarming, sure. But it’s also a reminder that these rituals require maintenance. They require people.

And that brings us to the other side of the coin. The same community that honors its dead is trying to keep its lights on.

Sarah Smith Hymes and Dave Munk are running for the Holy Cross Electric board. The pitch is simple: energy costs are rising, and the cooperative needs leaders who can navigate the messy intersection of clean energy mandates and pragmatic budgeting. Hymes brings a resume that reads like a list of every progressive initiative in the valley. She’s been on the Avon Town Council, served as mayor, worked on affordable housing, and sat on the Climate Action Committee. She’s also tied to Eagle River Water and Sanitation. Her argument is that she understands the players and the politics. She knows how to collaborate.

Munk, meanwhile, is the institutional memory. He’s already served two terms on the Holy Cross board. He’s seen the clean energy initiatives come online. He knows where the bodies are buried - metaphorically speaking, of course. His pitch is about stability. He argues that you need hindsight to be nimble. You need experience to adjust course when the wind changes.

It’s a classic tension. Vision versus experience. The new blood versus the old guard. The letter writers are betting that Hymes’s broad public service record and Munk’s specific utility knowledge make them the right pair to handle the next phase of clean energy production. They’re not just asking for votes; they’re asking for a specific kind of leadership. one that balances the idealistic goals of sustainability with the hard reality of keeping the lights on while people pay their mortgages.

But let’s not get too swept up in the politics of the board seats just yet. Step back to the Memorial Day service. The cadet singing the anthem wasn’t thinking about energy rates. The Scouts raising the flag weren’t worrying about the Cavern Springs appeal. They were just doing their duty.

There’s a quiet dignity in that. A reminder that before you can manage the cooperative, you have to honor the foundation it’s built on. The community is still here. The flags are still flying. And the people running for office are trying to make sure the power stays on long enough for the next generation to raise them again.

The sun sets over the valley. The flag comes up to full staff. The service ends. The real work begins.