"No Longer Alone"
In 2008, when I first heard that we may be getting 14-percent rate increase, I went to a rate committee meeting over in Rocky Mount. I asked the committee why there was a need for a rate increase of that amount. Curious to know if the large increase was due to the rise in fuel or coal cost or was it because of ElectriCities. The committee could not give me an answer.
After that, I started attending city council meetings asking for answers and asking if they could start looking into some of the actions of ElectriCities. It was my concern then that the city needed to start looking into doing something to help those who would not be able to pay their light bills. That was two years ago and the same problems still exist. Actually, it has escalated to the degree of where we are now with citizens outraged at the high utility bills and unable to pay them.
For the past two years, meeting after meeting, I have stood alone at city council meetings addressing members about ElectriCities. I have asked pertinent questions and have listened attentively for council answers. A majority of the time I never received a response because the questions were asked during the call on the audience time of the meeting. And as you know, council members do not answer questions during that time, they only listen.
I have asked to be placed on the agenda time and time again. Yet to no avail.
I have stood alone at the council meetings seeking answers for the citizens of this community. Times got tough standing alone, but through it all, I continued to stand. Now, two years later, I do not stand alone. Hundreds, even thousands stand together on this issue. As I look at those attending the council meetings, community meetings and those who gathered on the courthouse steps, we're all crying the same thing, "we need solutions to this out-of-control utility situation." We've also gained media coverage with TV stations, state and local newspaper coverage sharing stories almost daily about this issue. Thank you, my neighbors and fellow citizens for taking up this fight with me.
As you may or may not know, the last city council meeting was about cleaning up the image of the city and damage control from all the negative publicity. Two businessmen who spoke were there to talk about how good the city council was and the citizens needed to trust them.
Where were they when the elderly who are on a fixed income and perhaps only get a total household income of $500 or $600 per month and their light bill is $600 to $800? Where were they in asking the city to help?
We didn't see them come to council then and make a speech on the senior citizens' behalf. But they came to the rescue of the city. It riled my spirit and I had to ask the question, where were you then? And while I do not apologize for my demeanor, I am asking for your understanding. I am passionate about the causes of this community. People are suffering.
The city needs to know how important it is to help those who elected them and those who they are elected to lead. They are there to help us when there is a crisis such as this. To a certain degree, their mission for this entire city is to bring favorable conditions, businesses and environments for a better quality of life for all. And if the citizens cannot come to you, city council, then who?
0 comments:
Post a Comment