Laserfiche WebLink
281 <br /> <br />282 <br /> <br />283 <br /> <br />284 <br /> <br />285 <br /> <br />286 <br /> <br />287 <br /> <br />288 <br /> <br />289 <br /> <br />290 <br /> <br />291 <br /> <br />292 <br /> <br />293 <br /> <br />295 <br /> <br />296 <br /> <br />297 <br /> <br />298 <br /> <br />299 <br /> <br />300 <br /> <br />301 <br /> <br />302 <br /> <br />303 <br /> <br />304 <br /> <br />305 <br /> <br />306 <br /> <br />307 <br /> <br />CASSELBERRY CITY COMMISSION <br />Verbatim Transcript from July 14, 2003 - Regular Meeting <br />Regular Agenda 2 - First Reading of Ordinance 03-1090 - Referendum Election & Ballot Language Concerning Electric Franchise Issue <br />Page 12 of 49 <br /> <br />BRUCE PRONOVOST: Thank you. Andrea Dennison? <br /> <br />ANDREA DENNISON: I'm Andrea Dennison and I'm the Chairman of the Citizens Against, <br />Casselberry Citizens Against Government Electric. I hope that the Commission will approve the <br />contract that is before you today. The Commission did negotiate a very reasonable contract. <br />Over twenty-five hundred citizens of Casselben3, signed a petition of which eighteen hundred <br />were qualified voters. That petition stated they did not want the City of Casselberry to own or <br />operate an electric system. It is time for the Commission to respond to what the voters wanted. <br />They do not want the City of Casselberry, again, to own or operate an electrical system. Its been <br />said by some currently seated Commission, that the petition was bought and paid for by Progress <br />Energy. As Chairman of the Citizens Against Government Electric, I approached them. I <br />approached them because at the time I was so sick with Hepatitis C I was facing a liver <br />transplant. I could not walk door to door to get a petition drive going. So I called them and I <br />asked them for their financial assistance and they agreed. None of the other sponsors were also <br />in the financial means to support such a drive. I did not hide the fact that they'd funded that <br />drive. I clearly told it to the press and had it publicized before we ever collected the first <br />signature. And all the persons who called me asking who funded it, I clearly told them that <br />Progress Energy had assisted this citizen initiative. Not one person to my knowledge refused to <br />sign that petition drive. Where did I get the idea ofa PAC? Well, the last election, City <br />Commissioners contributed to or were benefitted by a PAC that centered itself on this very issue. <br />Should the election of those individuals be proclaimed bought or paid for? I think not. They <br />were duly elected and I'm proud of them for their service to this City, but please do not discount <br />what the signers of that petition did not want. They did not want a government owned electrical <br />system. Their fear is it will be a revenue generator for the City at the owner's expense. And who <br />are the owners? We will be. But they don't set the rates. They don't have the petition of the <br />Public Service Commission. An editorial today proved that the Public Service Commission <br />worked. They did not pass on certain charges to us, the consumer that Progress Energy wanted to <br />pass onto us. But I am happy with the service that Progress Energy has provided to me. I've <br /> <br /> <br />