John Wheeler, general manager and chief executive officer of Central New Mexico Electric Cooperative, is planning the opposite. He says he'll be going a lot faster once he retires on July 31.

"I've got a staff meeting on that day and after that we'll load up and head to Pueblo, Colo., for a drag race," Wheeler said Tuesday.

For years, building and racing cars has been a hobby. Now it'll be a hobby to which he can dedicate more time. He talks with the love of a parent about the 1978 Camaro that he rebuilt in his home garage. He said he's gotten the car up to 121 mph in a race, but he's got more work to do on it.

"It's going to get a lot faster," Wheeler said.

The co-op is going through other changes as well. Last week, president of the board of directors, J.T. Turner stepped down from his position.

The new president, Jerry Britton, said Tuesday that Turner stepped down for health reasons but will remain on the board of directors.

"We'll still have that experience on the board, but we're moving forward with these changes," Britton said.

Turner has been on the co-op's board for more than 30 years, serving the last 14 as president. The co-op's new building in Moriarty was named for him.

Wheeler has been with the co-op since 1995. He started his electrical co-op career as an apprentice electrician in 1966 with the Butte Electric Cooperative in Newell, S.D., becoming general manager of that co-op in 1970. In 1990, he left South Dakota to become general manager for Mt. Wheeler Power in Ely, Nev. He came to New Mexico in 1995.

And even though he is retiring, Wheeler said he plans to stay put.

"I love New Mexico," he said. "There's no way I'd go back to South Dakota to freeze."

The co-op's board of directors has named Matthew Collins as interim manger, Britton said.

The board will spend the next six months evaluating whether Collins will be given the job permanently, Britton said. If it doesn't look like the right fit, the board will look elsewhere, he said.

"We're hoping Mr. Collins can fulfill the duties," Britton said. "We don't think there will be an issue; he's been training with Mr. Wheeler over the past three years."

The Central New Mexico Electric Cooperative serves nearly 20,000 member customers in the Estancia Valley and some outlying areas.

Britton said the co-op is still working at upgrading its equipment and service and working with Tri-State Generation, the co-op's provider of electricity, at meeting requirements for using renewable energy.