Cobb Electric Membership Cooperative (Georgia)
"Throw the Rascals Out"
Otis Brumby, Bill Kinney, Joe Kirby
Marietta Daily Journal
September 11, 2009
BUTCH THOMPSON AND BO POUNDS and their two-year effort to oust
Dwight Brown as head of Cobb EMC and Energy recently picked up a high
profile radio talk show host as an ally.
WSB
radio consumer advocate Clark Howard called during his July 20 show for
Cobb Countians as part of "their civic duty" to "throw the rascals out
at Cobb EMC."
If you are not one of Cobb EMC's 200,000
customers in the five county area, the normally mild-mannered Howard
said, "just count your blessings that you don't have to deal with
what's gone on there with all the money that's been siphoned off and
absconded by insiders who set up a for-profit entity known as Cobb
Energy and have run off with the money of the citizens of Cobb County
who are members of the EMC."
Howard was apparently set off by
what he said was an EMC-paid-for-poll that EMC executives used to
convince Cobb EMC members to keep the current directors that have
steadfastly supported Brown, who Thompson and Pounds are trying to
replace. Brown has a contract as CEO through 2010, but others want him
gone sooner.
Howard told his listeners that he was aware of
District Attorney Pat Head's criminal investigation into Brown and
several directors and admitted that they are innocent until proven
guilty, but went on to say "the stink there is so severe, I cannot
believe (it)."
Cobb Electric Membership Cooperative (Georgia)
Cobb EMC's rates, new coal plant make little sense
Milt Aitken
Marietta Daily Journal
September 11, 2009
Cobb Electrical Membership Corporation
was formed to bring affordable power to an underdeveloped rural area.
That mission was accomplished long ago and the company's territory is
now mostly non-rural. While the employees of Cobb EMC do a commendable
job of bringing reliable power to the ratepayers of this cooperative,
the price we pay for it is way too high. Some argue that a new coal
plant would solve this problem. But that just isn't true.
On my
last Cobb EMC power bill, my net cost including taxes and Wholesale
Power Adjustment was over 14 cents per kwh. Friends who live near me,
but use Georgia Power, paid 9.2 cents per kwh. My bill is much higher
this summer than last, despite cooler weather.
The Wall Street
Journal recently published an article declaring that low demand has
pushed spot market prices for electricity down by 40 percent. So, why
are our Cobb EMC rates still rising. . . .
EMC's owners want the hard facts and
figures on this project. What is Cobb EMC's electrical demand now and
the projections for the future? How long will it take for demand to
rebound? Why has the WPA gone up while demand and open market prices
have gone down? What other sources of power have been considered and
why were they ruled out? Has a sale of Cobb EMC to Georgia Power been
considered? And why must we pay more for the same power?
Many of
us have lost confidence in the current administration of our EMC. Our
bills indicate that management is not working in the best interests of
the members. These issues must be addressed in an open and public
manner. Show the member owners all the numbers of demand, supply and
costs. We are entitled to help make informed decisions.
Cobb EMC
member Milt Aitken owns and operates Net2Atlanta, a Cobb County-based
Internet Service Provider and holds an Electrical Engineering degree
from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Carroll Electric Cooperative (Arkansas)
1984 revisited?
Open house -- insert sock
One of the most dearly held tenets of living in a democracy is that
citizens have a right to speak out. Before major decisions are made,
normally public hearings are held where people speak out, expecting
that their views will be taken into consideration. . . .
It appears Carroll Electric Cooperative Corp. (CECC) has gone one step
farther than the Delphi Technique. Although it is a non-profit,
member-owned cooperative, it doesn't even pretend to operate in a
democratic fashion. Members are not allowed to attend board meetings or
get full minutes of board meetings. Members are not allowed to speak or
ask questions at the annual meeting. And bylaws have been rewritten so
it's virtually impossible for members to nominate someone to the CECC
board or put a resolution before CECC members.
While claiming they are spraying herbicides to save money, CECC
board members (the only ones who get to decide who else is on the
board) are compensated at more than $30,000 per year, and last year
(not a good year for the economy!) handed the CEO a $100,000 per year
pay raise. And a recent lawsuit alleges CEO is hoarding members' money
for "unjust enrichment."