Letters to the editor: Electricities and spending
Monday, September 15, 2008 at 9:33 PM
Posted in ElectriCities
by DCN
Mr. Dancy,
I read your site and I have read all the comments on the Rocky Mount Telegram. Some of us met today and talked and here is where a lot of us are weighing in.
1. http://www.wilsontimes.com/Opinion/Letters/Story/Wilson-utility-customer-wants-some-answers--
The folks in Wilson have written some good letters. Mr. Barber called for CUTS at ElectriCities and it made a lot of sense. I have heard that he was contacted by ElectriCities and the staff mostly agreed with him.
Mr. Dew has pointed out great information, better than the reporters. Rocky Mount is now really expressing their views.
2. ElectriCities' budget needs to be cut. I agree with Mr. Barber. Cut it now.
3. The CEO has no credibility and he sounds dumb. Get rid of him. This trip was his idea I bet and it is dumb.
4. This assistance program has been around a long time and Congress debates it. Mr. Blackwell and Mr. Knight could have asked the congressmen to meet in Rocky Mount. They would do it and it is more powerful than going to Washington. They should have said NO Tilton, bring them here.
5. This trip appears to be more money wasted. See 4. Congress will debate this issue. Letters and calls from us, and a meeting in Rocky Mount would have been better.
6. Andre Knight is on the power agency and they ELECT the Board Members so he has a voice and he should use it. He can press the power agency to send a message to the Board for CUTS. He can do the same on the Council. They can pass a resolution and send it to ElectriCities. Why not do that?
7. Trips need to stop. The rate needs to be cut and to do that, costs need to be cut at ElectriCities and Tilton and his overpaid runners need to go NOW.
8. Rocky Mount should cut the dues they pay ElectriCities now. I get it that the debt is there but the trade association dues can be cut and we will have $60,000 more in Rocky Mount.
9. People have made good suggestions. Blackwell and Knight can stand up for the suggestions and we will back them. They can do it with a resolution and with motions at tthe power agency on Wed., Sept. 17 at 9 am in Wilson.
Thank you very much.
Kathy Fitch
From the editor: Thank you and I appreciate you and all the others who you met with. However let me respond to ya'll. But let me warn you that I eat, sleep and live politics and I have worked too hard over the years educating myself about what is going on around me. I know who the players are and as it relates to political leaders Rev. Andre Knight and Rev. Reuben Blackwell are the top 2 black elected officials in Edgecombe County and I will challenge anyone to that effect.
First of all it was Andre Knight who was not a member of the Rocky Mount City Council, Lewis Turner, Carol Batchelor, myself and some others who held a meeting in the late 90's and this is when we found out about the debt with ElectriCities. We have been talking about this since that time. There was another meeting held through Common Ground that was chaired by Chris Miller who was not on the council at that time. Knight, Turner and myself was a member and pushed for that meeting. Since Knight and Miller has been on the council, former Councilwoman and now NC House Rep. Angela Bryant held a meeting/s as well because she was voted to serve for the Rocky Mount City Council Agency Commission that Knight now serve on. I will not allow anyone to attack Knight and his efforts when it was us who brought this to the folks attention in Rocky Mount and every since he has been on the council racist white folks and a few safe Negroes whom he has been fighting for did not appreciate him being vocal. I didn't understand it all then but I be damn if I don't understand it now.
To say that Knight and Blackwell can not go after ElectriCities and trying to help the low income is just insane to me because we are not talking about folks who are necessarily on welfare but folks who are on fixed income. To say that it was not necessary for them to go to Washington DC is just insane to me because I have served as Vice President of N.E.E.D. Inc. that serves Nash, Edgecombe, Wilson and Halifax Counties. And what is more insane to me is that some folks act as if Knight and Blackwell do not have to pay high utilities as well.
Blackwell attended the last meeting in Wilson and he addressed the commission when folks in Wilson did not attend and speak up. I do not recall reading in the paper where others spoke up and I don't remember having that conversation with Knight and Blackwell. I do believe the commission may only allowed him to speak because he is a city councilmember. Blackwell ran against former Mayor Fred Turnage who have served for over 30 plus years a little over 4 years ago and the folks voted to keep Turnage in office. So I will not allow anyone to mislead folks about his efforts.
However I commend Ricardo Dew for taking time out of his busy schedule and rearranging his work schedule going to the meetings speaking out mostly alone. I listen to hear on the radio almost daily and I call in to the talk show to try to keep him encouraged because I don't hear others calling in voicing their opinion about ElectriCities or anything. I have not met Dew however I have spoke to him on the phone and I will not allow anyone to mislead folks about his efforts.
I know Knight and Blackwell and I know what these brothers stand for and I will not allow others to mislead folks about their efforts.
The comments on the Rocky Mount Telegram for me as a political activist since the early 90's only show me that the majority of them have no clue of what they are talking about as it relates to politics. The problem is they are making comments that have no merit and do not help the situation but shows how divided the community is instead of these naysayers making contact with the Knight and Blackwell before they speak out. All I ask is they learn the facts.
You say Knight and Blackwell can do this and do that but how about the rest of the councilmembers in Rocky Mount, Wilson and surrounding towns? How many councilmembers in Wilson have spoken out where the meeting is held?
Talking about picking up the phone and meeting in Rocky Mount? Have ya'll whom you met with picked up the phone and called Knight and Blackwell to voice your concerns? To ask them about their trip to S.C., their trip to Washington DC and/or about anything? It sure would look good if a group of people was to call them to ask to meet with them and they could say they are speaking for ya'll however as it stands it is just them to a certain degree. But ya'll are on the sidelines. Speaking out in the newspapers and online is good however if the community do not come out and participate in the process what good is it? How many of those who need to read the real suggestions actually read the newspapers? I don't know and maybe all of them, however I doubt if any actually does.
If ya'll would focus on putting your suggestions in writing and forwarding them to Knight and Blackwell and other councilmembers in Rocky Mount, Wilson and surrounding counties then and only then will we make some progress. Just how many true suggestions have been posted on the Rocky Mount Telegram website other than wanting councilmembers to not attend meetings? Wrong answer folks. It was Andre Knight who presented the resolution at the last meeting in Wilson that triggered some suggestion from Nobles and some others. And ya'll don't think that cutting out the expenses of the board members at a rate of $1000.00 a month is not a good thing. However I feel that it should have been cut out immediately and not extended until January.
The majority of the things I have seen on the Rocky Mount Telegram website I would probably say the hell with these folks but Knight and Blackwell can't do that because they are bigger than that and they know it is not about them but about the future of our children, the elderly and Rocky Mount but not limited to.
Again thank you and when we come together go after the real enemy then and only then will we accomplish the mission that Knight was a part of back in the late 90's.
I could post some more links to further justify my opinion here but they can be found here and here.
See related link:
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Monday, September 15, 2008 - What we have done
Mr. Dancy,Many of us have called the Board Members of ElectriCities. Some will not take calls. But we have called. We have emailed them and we have mailed them letters. We have requested documents from ElectriCities and we have analyzed electric rates across cities. We post what we find to educate people.
We have letters coming every day in the Wilson paper which gets more and more to write. We have pushed the newspapers to write articles, gave them information and urged editorials. We got that done.
We have done a lot.
Knight and Blackwell can get money but they do not need to take tainted ElectriCities money to go to Washington. They could have asked to meet in Rocky Mount and Wilson and had an audience. We will now ask how much the trip was. No need to spend more out of ElectriCities when we are asking them to cut out of state travel. Wasteful. They can help without traveling.
That money, if approved by Congress, is a drop in a bucket compared to what we could get with dropping the dues for ElectriCities from the city budget and making cuts in the budget. Rocky Mount could get cuts in rates AND money for those who need it. BY ADVOCATING CUTS, ELIMINATION OF PEOPLE IN HIGH PAYING JOBS AND DROPPING THE TRADE ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP DUES (not the debt - the dues - look at the budget). We want $10 million cut in fat to cut the rates 2%.
People were there from Wilson. We support Rick Dew. Rick Dew has been talking to the Council in Wilson as have others. Council Members have more power than we do, but we have been making calls and speaking out. Andre Knight and Reuben Blackwell heard from us and we do not hear back. They spoke out and so are others but they happen to be council members.
We do not support Fred Turnage. He is arrogant and rude.
Rick Dew is getting lots of support. People are working with him but he is our spokesperson.
People have followed up with letters supporting him in the Wilson Paper nearly every day. We want him as the next Mayor in Wilson.
I am sure you know Knight and Blackwell and we know you know what they stand for but a trip with the spendster Tilton is not what is needed. Rates need to be cut. We think that was a bad decision.
We are working on the other councilmembers in Wilson and Rocky Mount and in Elizabeth City where they have spoken out.
Butterfield meets with folks all over the place. Why not ask Tilton to forgo a trip and meet in Rocky Mount. Tilton and his chronies like to travel - he went to New Orleans, Washington, Myrtle Beach, Washington and he still screwed up. He has spent millions this year on travel and meeting. That is not right.
And you are wrong as we have written congress members about these issues too. We have already been asking about funds but federal funds to correct a state mistake is not right. There are cuts that can be made to cover EVEN MORE poor people.
Cut the Electricities dues and you will get $60,000. Cut trips and you will get $100,000. If Washington trip gets $100,000 (if Congress votes on it)minus cost of trip, you will see we can get more by cutting now. We are doing one better than reading the paper. We are reading public records and sending them out. Have Knight and Blackwell asked for the public documents and reviewed them like we have. We have staff giving us documents.
We will send them these details if you say they want them.
We agree about cutting out the expenses of the board members at a rate of $1000.00 a month is a good thing but why are they waiting until 2009 and not doing it now. Did you read Daryl Barber's letter based on the line item budget. There are good suggestions there.
We are behind you on the real enemy and we have studied it and gathered the data. We have a good plan and we need help getting it done and elected officials are where we need help.
Kathy
Note: This letter was edited only to separate paragraphs. I am treating this letter as a letter to the editor and therefore it will be posted in a posted as a letter to the editor. C. Dancy II - Editor
Edited by curmilus on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at 12:42 AM
Posted by Anonymous
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - My friend
You have to admit this is getting ugly and not real smart.http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/news/city-backs-beach-trip-spending-133378.html?showComments=true&postingId=133410
No defending this. If we get pictures they will eat these words.
Jim
Note: This comment was edited only to separate paragraphs. C. Dancy II - Editor
In response: What I see is several different issues here and it is plain and clear that some wanted the meeting to be held in RM but it is not the City Council call. Since the meeting was in S.C. they had all the right to go no matter who like it or not.
If something can be proven that is unjustified at the beach is another story. My point is and will stand is that I support attending conferences if they go and come back and use what they learned. C. Dancy II - Editor
Edited by curmilus on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at 12:40 AM
Posted by Anonymous