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Why Are We Sitting in the Dark?
Ray Pavlak, Winsted
Tom looked up from the book he was reading by candlelight and saw the black void of the personal computer screen staring back at him. He wouldn't be able to use the machine to do his online work again that night. Let's see, it was Friday and the power went out during the windstorm on Wednesday. He knew he was not suffering alone. His battery-powered radio mentioned many trees down and a large number of customers without electricity, especially in Litchfield County. Yet, Tom wondered if his small, rural town in the largely rural county was being treated fairly in the decisions of CL&P (Connecticut Light & Power Co.) as to where to send their repair crews to restore power.
He had phoned CL&P on Thursday to make sure they knew he needed their help. The company spokesperson was understanding and sympathetic that he couldn't get his online work done—something he did to supplement his income since he retired three years ago. Still the company said they had to concentrate their crews in more populated areas, which would get many more customers restored than if they worked in Tom's lightly inhabited town of Colebrook.
That explanation was understandable, but now that the emergency had dragged on into the third night, questions began to arise. Tom heard that CL&P had finally brought in crews from Canada and New Hampshire. Why the delay in calling them in? Tom sat in the dark stewing and wondering who else to phone to try to get help. He wondered if his state representative could get some action.
If you were in Tom's predicament, which of the following candidates would you want to be your 63rd District state representative in Hartford?
George Wilbur is first selectman of the small town of Colebrook. He received many complaints from residents who were patient to start, but when Friday rolled around, according to Mr. Wilbur, "they had had enough. On Thursday, I didn't see a CL&P truck in town, and I was fed up too." He said that the excuse given was not good enough. In addition, he pointed to the company's income of $2.6 billion a year and that it should have the resources to be better prepared for storms and other emergencies that cause power outages. As Mr. Wilber pointed out, "This was just a little blow. What if it was a hurricane?"
Because of weaknesses disclosed recently in company lines in Canton, Mr. Wilbur will ask the Office of Legislative Research to study the lines in the Northwest Corner to see if they are older, like Canton's, and thus less reliable. Should this be the case and the utility can't upgrade their distribution system, Wilbur said the company should be forced to give customers in rural communities lower rates as well as a rebate when the power is out for an extended period.
The other candidate for state representative in the 63rd District is Winsted selectman David Cappabianca, who said he would want to know how the state would pay for such an investigation before supporting any such idea. "We have zero control over the weather, and we're somewhat at the mercy of it when things like last week happen. Of course, that doesn't mean CL&P can't do their job better, but … we're a good distance from the populated areas. Plus, I'm not too sure we want the legislature telling a private company how to do business," Cappabianca said, according to an article in the Waterbury Republican-American [Candidate wants CL&P cleanup plan illuminated] on September 19.
You and I who live in the 63rd District will have an opportunity to vote for one of these gentlemen in the November election. Their positions on issues, sensitivity to problems, and philosophy of government are important to us in making our decision of which lever to pull.
By the way, isn't CL&P—like the other utilities of phone or gas—regulated by a state agency?
See you at the polls in November!
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