A seat on the Nebraska Public Power District board of directors will be appointed by Gov. Jim Pillen, following the resignation of subdivision 4 Director David Gale.

Gale a North Platte native who ran a strong campaign for the seat on the board two years ago, submitted a letter of resignation that was accepted by NPPD’s board during June’s regularly scheduled meeting, NPPD spokesman Grant Otten said.

“We appreciate David Gale’s time and effort serving the district, our customers, and his constituents in Subdivision 4 and I want to wish him the best,” NPPD Board Chair Jerry Chlopek said.

In accordance with Nebraska statutes, the vacated seat will be filled through an appointment by Pillen. The appointment will run through early January 2027. The remaining two years of the six-year term will be determined in the 2026 election cycle.

Gale ran as an advocate of low electricity rates and promised to challenge the NPPD board’s net-zero carbon emissions target. He said he aimed to protect both the future of Gerald Gentleman Station and its 200 employees and families, as well as Union Pacific Railroad’s Bailey Yard and its 2,600 employees and families.

Gale did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The subdivision 4 chartered territory includes all of Gosper, Hayes, and Red Willow counties and portions of Lincoln and Frontier counties.

The governor’s office is taking applications for the vacant position. The deadline for applications is end of business day on Wednesday, June 26.

The portal is at https://governor.nebraska.gov/board-comm-req. 

Applications can also be mailed to the governor’s Office, P.O Box 94848, Lincoln, NE 68509. Applicants must live within Subdivision 4 and reside in an area served directly or indirectly by NPPD. A map of the NPPD subdivisions is below, and available here: https://www.nppd.com/about-us/director-subdivisions.

More information about NPPD’s board of directors, and the territories they serve, can be found on NPPD.com, Otten said.

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