Strib Boynton and ElectriCities Run Amuck

[Word on the Street]

The word in Raleigh and eastern NC is that Strib Boynton was part of a conspiracy to help a lobbyist, Estherine Davis, get ahead without qualification or ethics.

There is now an ethics investigation of Davis and her financial dealings with another lobbyist, and an EEOC complaint filed against Davis, and nine employees/former employees filing suit.

High rates are ruining eastern NC because of excess spending by Boynton and ElectriCities. High Spending is a result of him and his liaison. Is he getting something in return?

[Need to add]

I am an employee and you need to add the OVERPAID Clay Norris to the list as he masterminded for Davis. What is his relationship with her? And then there are the wannabes Janice Carney, Brenda Daniels, just incompetent twits. And then there is Mia Bailey. This is the list. Hope you have them all in the lawsuit.

[Wilson]

http://www.wilsontimes.com/News/Local/Story/E... --

Wilson wants out

Add Mark Otersen to that list too. He cannot do his job and is a Davis lackey.

[Tamika]

I am a resident in High Point and even though our rates are high, my aunt has very high rates in Wilson.

Citizen Petition to eastern NC City Councils and Board of ElectriCities of NCTarget:Customers of Cities Paying too high rates because of ElectriCitiesSponsored by: Citizens for Responsible Leadership and Accountability at ElectriCities
We, the below signed, strongly urge you to use your position of leadership to demand deep budget cuts in the eastern budget of $700 million at ElectriCities of NC.

The budget can be cut in the following areas: personnel, salary adjustments/bonuses, sponsorships, economic development, communications, out of state travel, lobbying, consultants, annual meeting. Cuts can easily exceed $5 million.

Further, we urge the cuts be implemented before the end of 2008 to be effective now and in the future. And, we urge the application of the cost savings to the wholesale electric rate charged to the City by ElectriCities in order to reduce consumer rates in Wilson.

In addition, we strongly urge new management, at reduced salaries, at ElectriCities, effective immediately, because of the detrimental effects of reckless financial decisions, poor leadership and lack of accountability.
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We, the below signed, strongly urge you to use your position of leadership to demand deep budget cuts in the eastern budget of $700 million at ElectriCities of NC.

The budget can be cut in the following areas: personnel, salary adjustments/bonuses, sponsorships, economic development, communications, out of state travel, lobbying, consultants, annual meeting. Cuts can easily exceed $5 million.

Further, we urge the cuts be implemented before the end of 2008 to be effective now and in the future. And, we urge the application of the cost savings to the wholesale electric rate charged to the City by ElectriCities in order to reduce consumer rates in Wilson.

In addition, we strongly urge new management, at reduced salaries, at ElectriCities, effective immediately, because of the detrimental effects of reckless financial decisions, poor leadership and lack of accountability

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/citizen-peti...

[Tamika]

We signed the "Citizen Petition to eastern NC City Councils and Board of ElectriCities of NC" petition!
# 17: 12:46 pm PDT, Oct 12, John Godfrey, North Carolina
What justifies the high salaries paid to the employees and board members of ElectricCities. The President of The United States is paid $400,000 per year and the CEO of ElectriCities is paid $458,000 per year. Rocky Mount, NC where I live has one of the highest electricity rates the the US (source)http://www.econsci.com /rates/residential.html at 11.38 cents per KWH and rising. To give you an example, residents of the city of Tacoma, Washington pay 4.46 cents per KWH and residents of Southern California Edison pay 11.60 per KWH.
# 16: 9:31 am PDT, Oct 12, Jeff King, North Carolina

# 15: 4:55 am PDT, Oct 11, Simos Tarabatzis, Greece

# 14: 9:15 am PDT, Oct 7, Holt Pearce, North Carolina

# 13: 6:15 pm PDT, Oct 4, Name not displayed, Pennsylvania

# 12: 9:50 pm PDT, Sep 29, JOSSIE ROSS, Canada

# 11: 9:35 pm PDT, Sep 29, Patricia Bakewell, North Carolina

# 10: 6:27 pm PDT, Sep 29, Sherry Bunn, North Carolina
Our household has recently been annexed into the City (not by our choice) however the city of Rocky Mount's electric bills are outrageous! We don't mind the money going to the police protection however, our son has a total electric home and his electric bill has never been much higher than $290.00 in the dead of winter He is serviced by Edgecombe Martin Electric Membership Corporation. The city coucil should get on the problem of lowering these electric rates or maybe they should have taken that $11000.00 plus money used to finance a trip to Myrtle Beach and taken one of the many transit buses to travel there. Surely their salaries would have covered their room and meals.Then that money could have gone to helping people in the city of Rocky Mount with their utility rates due to our distressed economy.
# 9: 1:19 pm PDT, Sep 29, Name not displayed, North Carolina
I am so glad that somebody is taking a stand against the rising cost of the utilities in Rocky Mount. I'm a native New Yorker and this is how we got alot of things done up there. The people here complain but don't really want to do anything, I knew that I couldnt do it by myself, so I'm so glad that we as a community are fighting back.
# 8: 12:20 pm PDT, Sep 28, Katherine Libby, North Carolina

# 7: 12:39 am PDT, Sep 28, Toni Sokoloski, Massachusetts

# 6: 7:46 am PDT, Sep 27, Name not displayed, Germany

# 5: 11:42 am PDT, Sep 26, Pam Boland, Georgia

# 4: 4:07 pm PDT, Sep 25, Steve Dale, Australia
DROP THE CEOS WAGE AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT AND YOU WILL ALMOST SAVE THE AMOUNT STATED OR AT LEAST CLOSE TO IT,ITS CEOS WAGES AND EXPENSE ACCOUNTS THAT ARE SENDING COMPANIES BROKE.
# 3: 11:21 am PDT, Sep 25, Evelyn Yancey, Georgia

[Tamika]

Rocky Mount Utility Petition (Lower the Rates)Target:City of Rocky Mount Utitity CustomersSponsored by: [e-mail] Rocky Mount Utitlites are outrageous and need to be lowered. We do not have a choice to get our power from Progress Energy, so we have to buy our electric from the City of Rocky Mount. I enjoy living in the city, but the electric and gas rates are too high. We the citizens of Rocky Mount want our gas and electric rates lowered and want them to be comparative to Progress Energy. Many residents electric bills are almost more than their mortgage payment each month.(Mine is one of them) If there is a law for Price Gouging, then this matter should be addressed and investigated as such. The City of Rocky Mount has to buy their electricity from NCEMPA (American Public Power Association, American Public Gas Association and Electricities). I feel if we had a choice, the citizens of Rocky Mount would choose a diffferent provider for our utilities. Now they are talking about another price increase in 2009 after we already had one in 2008. Please reply to this petition. If I can get 1000 people to respond, I will go to the next step, but I am young, energetic, and motivated, so I am willing to try to get our voices heard. I need everyone to help get our voice heard. Please sign this petition. Comment your feelings. Tell everyone you know that cares about our town's wellness to sign the petition as well.

[Tamika]

If anyone is interested in helping me in your communities please email me at [e-mail]. I have made copies of the petition so that we can also get written signatures on this matter. I will be starting to get written signatues this weekend. If you are interested in helping me by getting signatures in your development please contact me and I can get a copy to you.
[e-mail] Rocky Mount Utitlites are outrageous and need to be lowered. We do not have a choice to get our power from Progress Energy, so we have to buy our electric from the City of Rocky Mount. I enjoy living in the city, but the electric and gas rates are too high. We the citizens of Rocky Mount want our gas and electric rates lowered and want them to be comparative to Progress Energy. Many residents electric bills are almost more than their mortgage payment each month.(Mine is one of them) If there is a law for Price Gouging, then this matter should be addressed and investigated as such. The City of Rocky Mount has to buy their electricity from NCEMPA (American Public Power Association, American Public Gas Association and Electricities). I feel if we had a choice, the citizens of Rocky Mount would choose a diffferent provider for our utilities. Now they are talking about another price increase in 2009 after we already had one in 2008. Please reply to this petition. If I can get 1000 people to respond, I will go to the next step, but I am young, energetic, and motivated, so I am willing to try to get our voices heard. I need everyone to help get our voice heard. Please sign this petition. Comment your feelings. Tell everyone you know that cares about our town's wellness to sign the petition as well.
Here are some very interesting Numbers from one of the recent blogs on the Telegram Page:
Progress Energy,
If anyone is interested in helping me in your communities please email me at [e-mail]. I have made copies of the petition so that we can also get written signatures on this matter. I will be starting to get written signatues this weekend. If you are interested in helping me by getting signatures in your development please contact me and I can get a copy to you.
[e-mail]"W e the undersigned." It is time for all of us to stand up against our utility bills and let our voices be heard. We will not stop until we are heard and something is done.
Thank you everyone for taking the time to read and acting on this petition.
signature
goal: 1,000
442
signatures!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/rocky-mount-...

[Tamika]

http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/news/electr...

I understand this is junk. The board ended his contract - finally. And this is the second time no raise. Strib Boynton loves this sorry dude and wanted to give him a raise. We need a new manager who is not wrapped up in this place.

[tiltonisdefinite lygone]

Tilton is out. The ElectriCities board called a special meeting for a closed session, personnel issues, and held it at the Law Firm, an unusual location. The message went out to members of our group who are on the list to receive notices. We immediately knew something was up.

Word leaked out. Tilton is out. But of course, now they are painting it as a resignation to pursue other interests. Not buying it but that is alright. We turned the state blue this week and now we have a fighting chance to repair the damage of 13 years of AIG/ENRON-like CEO blunders at ElectriCities.

http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/news/ ... l#comments

But will the Board be able to get rid of the other staff who have been paid excessive raises and received excessive increases. And there need to be cuts NOW. We hear word of more big raises and bonuses for staff. Which press will be reading the budget??

And, the word is out that a former legislator has been brought in straight from the legislature to lobby for the group, skirting Ethics laws with a technicality. This is in the division with 90% turnover, and this legislator will be the third person in this position in a year.

More costs running up with all of this and more bad press with bad decision-making. Finally we can turn the page on this CEO but only if the board cleans up the rest of this mess will we make it out of the more of excessive spending called ElectriCities.

http://www.wilsontimes.com/News/Local/S ... versight--

http://www.wilsontimes.com/News/Breakin ... s-Friday--

[Electricitiesinc ompetence]

http://bluenc.com/electricities-incompetence -...

Electricities: Incompetence run amok
Submitted by James Protzman on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 11:53am.
One of the BlueNC watchdogs that keep an eye on Electricities alerted us earlier this week that the incompetent organization was screwing up again, this time striking a questionable deal with a legislator-turned-lobbyist. Today, Rob Schofield at NC Policy Watch, digs a little deeper.

Recently, those who follow North Carolina politics learned of a new, real world example of what we’ll call “dugout hiding.” It involves former State Representative and now Electricities lobbyist, er uh sorry, Electricities grassroots organizer and fundraiser, Drew Saunders. Saunders, a former long-time ally of Jim Black who had a well-earned reputation during his tenure in the General Assembly as a business-friendly conservative (and who once famously lamented the new ban on lobbyist gifts to lawmakers with the statement “Even the baby Jesus accepted gifts and I don’t believe corrupted him”) resigned this week to take a job with the trade group for municipally owned power companies.

The hire was obviously about getting Saunders on board to schmooze his former colleagues. The only problem, of course, is that the lobbying reforms passed in the wake of the Black scandal require a mandatory six-month “cooling off” period between Saunders’ resignation from the House and his registering as a lobbyist.“No problem,” says Electricities, Saunders won’t work as a lobster right away. Instead, he’ll “work on grassroots initiatives and fundraising.”

Hmmm. Well, I suppose it’s within the rules, but it sure does register a reading on the smell-meter. Over the coming months, it will be interesting to see if Saunders is actually back in the clubhouse or merely hiding in the dugout.

With all due respect, it doesn't matter whether Drew Saunders is in the clubhouse or the dugout, or playing hide-the-hot-dog in Jim Black's prison cell. Because the so-called Electricities "leadership" has no business hiring such an individual at a time when its own integrity has failed to pass the smell test.

Electricities doesn't have a lobbying problem; Electricities has a competence problem. And no amount of fast-talking from a revolving-door lobbyist will do anything to fix that sorry situation.

In my career, I've seen lots of organizations slip into the death spiral of denial. Instead of taking on the hard work of cleaning house and hiring capable leaders, they circle the wagons hoping to spin their way to improved performance. That's what's happening here - and it ain't gonna make one iota's worth of difference.

The entire Electricities board should resign. The contract with Saunders should be canceled.

What an embarrassment.

Saunders is worse
Submitted by James Protzman on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 12:46pm.

than I thought. It looks like his affinity for Jim Black comes naturally. And he doesn't even have the good sense to be embarrassed. How sad it that.

http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_do ...

http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/ ...