Citizen Coalition PC

10/22/2018

An excellent piece by Darin Cook in the Gainesville Sun, please share and don't forget to vote YES on the GRU Referendum!

"It’s a change that will have experts making the long-term decisions on GRU, not amateurs." - Darin Cook

Because of their lack of expertise and focus, our local politicians have made major mistakes with Gainesville Regional Utilities, and its customers are

10/17/2018

Good advice ignored,

GRU and The Sun have been giving bad advice since 2009 and it appears they want to keep lower-income people in their place — paying the highest utility bills in the state.

Dr. Michael Bowie, former president of the NAACP, asked the City Commission to reconsider the 2009 unnecessary and fiscally irresponsible multi-billion-dollar biomass contract to purchase power for more than twice the market rate, knowing that lower income people would be hurt the most. He and others were ignored.

Voting “yes” on the Nov. 6 GRU referendum, calling for dedicated experts to operate and manage GRU, will improve the way GRU is run without hurting our Gainesville fire department or anyone else. The city of Gainesville collects a fire assessment fee annually.
It was local Democrats and others who initiated the referendum to improve the way GRU is run and not Rick Scott.

Vote “yes” for the GRU Authority.
Debbie Martinez, Gainesville

Published in the Gainesville Sun on Oct. 14, 2018

Additional comments:

Voting "YES" on the GRU "Municipal Referenda/GRU Authority" is about protecting lower income people while keeping it local and public by having local experts manage GRU who can lower GRU bills.

It's located on the back of the ballot - second from the bottom.

As thousands of people suffer in mold infested homes because they can no longer afford to turn on their air conditioners - GRU and the City of Gainesville are using our money to encourage people to vote against a GRU Authority.

Let's not forget the Gainesville Sun is out there right along with GRU and the City of Gainesville encouraging lower income people to vote against the GRU Authority. They all championed the 2009 multi-billion dollar biomass boondoggle that crippled lower income people and now they are working overtime on a vote "no" campaign that I believe will to keep lower income people down.

There needs to be a special place in the Hall of Shame to hang every single one of their pictures.

From the bottom of my heart,

Debbie

10/08/2018

ICYMI: This is from the Gainesville Sun from October 5, 2018.

Professional board

Confused on how to vote on the referendum to amend the city charter to create the GRU authority governing board? It is pretty simple, you can vote “no” and give the City Commission the power to build us another obsolete wood burning power plant. Or vote “yes” and have a professional, unbiased, unpolitical board make intelligent, smart decisions for our utility’s future.

John Kish Jr., Gainesville

10/02/2018

ICYMI:

Published in The Sun 10/2/18
Another "YES" supporter on the Nov. 6th GRU referendum - "Municipal Referenda
Taxation without representation

Much has been written and spoken about regarding GRU. However, with the current system we have “taxation without representation.” About a third of the GRU ratepayers reside outside the city limits and as such we have no vote on how the utility is run.

The city of Gainesville receives a substantial portion of its operating budget from revenues from GRU. If the utility was a stand-alone entity, two things would happen: First, the utility could focus on what it was originally created to do — providing utility services for its customer base. Second, the city would be required to manage its money more efficiently to provide those services that were required by its incorporation.
As a voice for those who have no voice on GRU, please vote yes regarding GRU and allow all ratepayers a voice in its operation.

John Anderson, Alachua County

10/01/2018

This is from the Gainesville Sun this weekend:

Commission blunders

I read the GRU referendum. It does not take away local control of GRU. Each member of the board, appointed by our City Commission, must be a current GRU customer with an account history of five or more years, and can be removed by the City Commission. Three of these five locals must have professional expertise in law, finance, energy, economics and other pertinent fields.

The first historic City Commission blunder, although given plenty of facts and warnings to reverse course, was pushing ahead with the 30-year GREC contract. The second unprecedented blunder was agreeing immediately to purchasing the plant at the seller’s price of $750 million, without countering and without competition!

Gainesville should have created a solar program that actually benefited customers instead of those outside speculators, helped make homes more energy efficient and focused on conservation. Are commissioners too inexperienced to manage such a huge asset?

Monica Leadon Cooper, Gainesville

Ban pit bullsMy heart goes out to the woman whose dog was savagely killed by three pit bulls. If I hear or read one more "it's the way they're

09/28/2018

This is from the Gainesville Sun this weekend:

Commission blunders

I read the GRU referendum. It does not take away local control of GRU. Each member of the board, appointed by our City Commission, must be a current GRU customer with an account history of five or more years, and can be removed by the City Commission. Three of these five locals must have professional expertise in law, finance, energy, economics and other pertinent fields.

The first historic City Commission blunder, although given plenty of facts and warnings to reverse course, was pushing ahead with the 30-year GREC contract. The second unprecedented blunder was agreeing immediately to purchasing the plant at the seller’s price of $750 million, without countering and without competition!

Gainesville should have created a solar program that actually benefited customers instead of those outside speculators, helped make homes more energy efficient and focused on conservation. Are commissioners too inexperienced to manage such a huge asset?

Monica Leadon Cooper, Gainesville

Free from pressureThe citizen’s choice Nov. 6 municipal referendum, calling for a separate board of dedicated experts to manage and operate