By Charles McClure
news@ltview.com
It doesn’t take a one-armed genius to understand that Pedernales Electric Cooperative has been the picture of egomaniacal, self-serving, disingenuous and even dishonest behavior. It is the poster child for all things wrong with government.

Now here comes some dude named Larry Landaker, who was only elected to the board a mere two weeks ago, and is now the president of the board. It all happened faster than a Guatemalan coop.
But not to worry, Landaker is not “Generalissimo,” as Chevy Chase use to say on Saturday Night Live way back in the 1970s. That dude is still dead.
I know Larry Landaker. I first met him seven years ago while still editing the Wimberley View when he first moved to the area and began selling real estate. Landaker wasted no time gaining a prominent profile in the community. Soon, he was volunteering for all kinds of projects, city committees, and went about the business of establishing himself as a real estate agent. It was new territory for him; Landaker had spent his career managing television stations all over the nation. His final stop was at Time Warner’s News 8.
My wife has worked with him on stage with the Wimberley Players. He’s a gregarious guy who approaches life with a zest and zeal not unlike my own. In fact, I would venture to say he and I have many personality characteristics in common – except to say I would never run for public office. Too many years of journalism has jaded my view of such things – not to mention I can just see an opponent sifting through my 30 years of commentary to pull out some gem from my past in an attempt to paint me for a conservative or a liberal. Based on the things I have written, I could be painted as either – depending on the topic.
While Landaker was in the management side of the news biz, which typically would not win rave reviews from yours truly, he thinks more like a journalist. He is, in deed, rather than words, extremely dedicated to transparency in government. He is, in my opinion, an honest, “what you see is what you get” kind of guy. That is another area where he and I are a lot alike.
I have no clue what kind of president Landaker will be for PEC – only time will tell, as is true of anyone who serves in any public office – except to say this – he will be a huge improvement over the past regimes of that sordid organization.
He will fight for what he believes is right – and be open and honest about what he is doing and why. If you don’t agree with every political stand he takes, the hunch here is that he will make his thought process clear and do so up front. He will be accessible to the customers, employees and media.
I was a bit shocked at his rise to prominence on the board, but in retrospect, the PEC situation was downright desperate – someone had to do it.
So good luck Larry – and hang in there. A rough road lies ahead for this agency as the criminal investigations wind through the system. But this is a good start on PEC’s road to recovery.