This writer will remain anon.. This person shows a very adept knowledge of the ElectriCities controversy. The thing that I want to add is that ElectriCities is not a cooperative where every consumer has a vote to decide the direction to go. This is a government created and franchised organization that gives all of the power to the municipalities and none to the people. This is a pet project of State Representative Blue and State Senator Nesbitt. I will sponsor a bill eliminating Electricities and creating a cooperative that serves the people and is responsive to their needs. My name is Paul Terrell III and I am running against Dan Blue.

We need help in eastern NC. After months of denying a rate increase, then denying the rate increase is due to anything other than fuel costs, ElectriCities of NC finally admitted an error. They only admitted it because we showed up and pressured them. But this mistake is very costly to the good people of eastern NC. They finally admitted, after telling us to USE FANS instead of AC to save money.

Jesse Tilton CEO “converted a portion of the debt from fixed-rate loans to variable-interest loans in 2004. The move was expected to save around $10.5 million a year in interest payments, but instead, the collapse of the subprime mortgage market caused those interest rates to climb unexpectedly. Between last December and April, the payments were nearly $4 million over budget. They have since converted that debt back to fixed rates, but the damage was done. NCEMPA’s debt service payments are rising $12 million a year, or equal to a two-percent hike in the wholesale rate.”

http://www.wilsontimes.com/News/Local/Story/Electric-rates-face-August-increase—

How much has the most refinancing of the debt cost us in total? When was it discovered to be a bad deal? Officials in Wilson told us March was when they were told but the CEO knew in October. But the people, the people who have to pay were not told until June and many city officials were not told until June. When did the CEO inform the cities, the board? March some; June most.

How long had he known when he informed them? He knew in Oct. 2007 and did not tell his board until March. He let the costs increase and did not tell.

How much did it cost during that interim? Has the refinancing of the debt been cleaned up - i.e. has it been refinanced again? How much did that cost? What percentage of the rate increase is due to the poorly managed refinancing of the debt?

Why are you not informing the ratepayers of the true costs of the rate increase? They are starting to now after lying for a while to the press and the people and even some city officials.

How much have operational costs increased (%) over the past three years? What cuts will ElectriCities make to demonstrate that they understand the burden they have placed on eastern NC?
Why is the ElectriCities Board continuing to employ a CEO who has mismanaged public money, cost the ratepayers needlessly and hidden the facts? How can you employ a half million dollar CEO who screwed up this badly along with his overpaid managers? How can you lie to the press and people time after time? And how can board members take thousands of dollars in “salary” for being on a board when they are not doing their job? WE NEED OVERSIGHT

Then we find out Sen Martin Nesbitt and Rep Dan Blue (A former ElectriCities lobbyist) get a bill passed for ElectriCities and then get a PAC contribution when they have no electric city in their district. And why would a bill pass letting this group enter into ANYTHING for any longer than 3 years when the ineptness is so OBVIOUS.

So ElectriCities says “Enrolled and on its way to the Governor’s office for signature is a bill that allows joint municipal assistance agencies to make and execute contracts for more than three years. HB 1679 entitled Joint Municipal Assistance Agency Contracts, introduced by Rep. Earl Jones (D-Guilford), was given a favorable report out of the Senate Judiciary I Committee and received unanimous support on the Senate floor.

Senator Nesbitt (D-Buncombe) explained the bill on the Senate floor and stated that he had no idea why anyone would put such a restriction on an organization trying to do business. The bill amends General Statute 159B-44 by removing the three-year limit. ElectriCities will be able to bind its members in contracts for a period longer than three years.The bill is effective as soon as the Governor signs it into law.”

We are too late now. THIS IS NOT GOOD. YOU DO NOT REWARD BAD BEHAVIOR WITH MORE AUTHORITY.

Newspapers tell us their local entrenched people pressure them into leaving this issue alone. Poyner and Spruill has pressured people cause they make millions off this place. The guy that gave the presentation at the Electricities meeting kept trying to put all of the blame on the cost of fuel. However, when confronted with the variable bonds issue and those huge losses, he had to admit that they had made a big mistake and it would take raising utilities rates to “cover” some of the losses. Their bond ratings are now at triple B and not triple A…There are now additional costs because of those lower ratings and interest costs.

There are 14 counties and 32 cities involved. We all understand the higher cost of fuel, but we also understand that there should be consequences for “mismanagement”. How come all of the people who do these things never have to suffer any personal penalties?? It is like “blanket immunity” covers all of those who do wrong and we have to pick up the tab and move on, NOT. I didn’t buy into some of the excuses that were given at that meeting, and unless that guy who is making the $500,000 salary and responsible for the “little error” has to cough up some extra dollars out of his own pocket, then I will continue to “fuss.”

Why should we pay for his mistake? And he not pay? Their salary budget is $6 million and they likely have fluff spending in the millions and that could help cities help people with this rate increase. WHY? WHY does a board keep someone who is picking our pocket?

We need some proposals for oversight. We need pressure to bear on these folks, at least in the form of questions. We hope you can help in your candidate role.

Okaaaaay…

DURHAM — Allegations that a local Democratic official and her husband were involved in Satanic rituals that included shackling people to beds, caging them and depriving them of food and water have horrified county party leaders.

Joy Johnson, 30, a third vice-chairwoman of the Durham County Democratic Party and vice chairwoman of the Young Democrats, was charged Friday with two counts of aiding and abetting.

Her husband, Joseph Scott Craig, 25, was charged with second-degree rape, second-degree kidnapping and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon for an incident in January and another in May.

During her time as a party official, Johnson was interested in trying to attract more young Democrats and get them involved in the political process, acquaintances say.

Floyd McKissick, a state senator and a Democrat from Durham, said Monday he had been told Johnson had resigned her posts with the party. He, too, reserved judgment.

“I was absolutely shocked and flabbergasted,” McKissick said. “You never would have suspected allegations that she would have had any participation in these rituals.”

The N&O

RALEIGH — County manager David Cooke said today he has turned over documentation about a travel and spending spree by a former employee to Wake district attorney Colon Willoughby, raising the possibility of criminal prosecution.

The actions come two days after The News & Observer detailed 50 trips and questionable purchases made by Craig P. Wittig, the former recycling program manager for the county’s solid waste management division. He was fired June 3.

Over a 26-month period, Wittig averaged two out-of-town trips a month. He and five subordinates racked up $161,233 in travel costs and other expenses to credit cards issued by Wake County and paid for with public money.

The trips included a whale-watching cruise off the Maine coast, nights at a Las Vegas casino, geyser sightseeing in Yellowstone and four visits to Walt Disney World.

Wittig, 37, also used his county charge card to buy top-of-the line backpacking gear, a John Denver CD and a novel about elves. Wittig has said the trips and purchases were legitimate expenses, many of them incurred in the line of one of his primary duties — developing an environmental education program for Wake County.

The N&O

Absolutely. Every recycling manager needs to know about elves. You know when they’re not at Santa’s workshop, they’re helping out at the recycling facility, right?

His boss, Solid Waste Management Director James S. Reynolds, signed off on the charges, which were often justified as research on museums and parks for building an environmental education program that was to include a planned center to be built at the recently closed North Wake Landfill.

Reynolds was demoted last month, but he has remained on the county payroll earning a reduced annual salary of $85,000. No personnel action has been taken against those working for Wittig, who also went on some of the trips.

These two numbskulls ought to be put to work for minimum wage, working two damn jobs, until they repay the county taxpayers for every penny they spent.

State Rep. Paul Luebke says he’ll press for instant runoffs in 2009.

The Durham Democrat, who sponsored a pilot project for municipal elections in 2005, said the concept was scary to a lot of legislators, but after elections in Cary and Hendersonville, he thinks they may be more open to it.

“In 2009, if I’m back, I expect to participate in a discussion about how we could use instant-runoff voting as a statewide policy,” he said.

Luebke said the traditional primary runoff method has its own risks, including extremely low turnout.

“It’s really not a good idea to have so few people deciding these runoff races,” he said.

The News & Observer

I think Luebke has a good idea here.  Runoff elections are exceedingly expensive and just aren’t worth the cost when you see how the poor the turn out is.  I was very irritated that here in South Carolina we had our Presidential primary separate from our state primary.  Plus, we still had runoffs to deal with earlier this week so we had to pay for three primary elections this year!  Then throw in the general in November with the possiblity of runoffs resulting from that and it becomes an expensive venture.

Are You Tired Of Not Being Heard By State Elected Officials?
Let’s Take Our Conservative Message To Them!
Together We Can Take Back Our State!

Take Back Our State Rally

June 25, 2008
4:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Halifax Mall, Raleigh, NC

(Located Behind the General Assembly)

FREE FOOD!
LIVE!
BEACH MUSIC WITH THE CRAIG WOOLARD BAND!
FREE T-SHIRTS!
FAMILY FUN!
RAIN OR SHINE!

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Take Back Our State Expanded Poll Luncheon with Americans for Prosperity and the John W. Pope Civitas Institute

Click here to register for the lunch
(Requires separate registration from rally and is not free)

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Legislator Visits

4:30 pm
Rally in Halifax Mall starts.
(Must register to receive free meal ticket)

Bring the Family, Neighbors, and Friends to Show Our Elected Officials That You Want to TAKE BACK OUR STATE!

Click to download and print a flyer to post on bulletin boards and give to your friends!

Bus Trips to Take Back Our State Rally

Coming from Asheville/Greensboro? Ride our bus for only $10.00.
For more information Register Here.

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DIRECTIONS

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Cary’s property-tax rate is back at 33 cents.

The Town Council voted 5-2 Friday morning to back down the tax rate only 36 hours after raising it to 37 cents.

Jennifer Robinson, for whom the decision to vote for the 37-cent rate on Wednesday was visibly difficult, asked the council to reconsider.

She cited her earlier ambivalence and the state of the economy as reasons she wanted to switch.

“I don’t think anybody feels good about it,” Robinson said.

Don Frantz and Gale Adcock also switched their votes.

Mayor Harold Weinbrecht and Julie Robison voted against setting the property-tax rate at 33 cents.

Weinbrecht said he was concerned about the impact that the lower rate would have on funding for parks and road projects.

“I think at 33 [cents] we’re cutting” some of those projects, Weinbrecht said.

The Cary News

Well, at least they got it right the second time. When people are struggling just to buy groceries, local governments have to cut back. Somebody tell Mayor Weinbrecht that his projects can wait until his constituents stop hurting financially.

RALEIGH - Other than the traffic snarls caused as local roads were blocked to make way for the presidential motorcade, President Bush’s brief visit to the Triangle late Friday to raise funds for Republican gubernatorial nominee Pat McCrory was a low-profile affair.

Little more than two hours after it arrived, Air Force One left RDU at 6:56 p.m.

The N&O

Y’know… it’s not enough that Pres. Bush has been a total wuss on illegal immigration. Nor is it enough that he stuck with a doomed Iraqi War policy long after he should have shown Donald Rumsfeld the door. Nor is it enough that he’s presided over the biggest expansion of government since Lyndon Johnson. Nor is it enough that he, more than anyone else, has soiled the conservative brand in this country… despite not actually being a conservative.

No. He had to go and top it off yesterday… by making me sit in traffic on I-440, miss the closing time at my bank, and prevent me from depositing my paycheck. Oh, and that “traffic snarl” the article mentioned? If by “snarl” you mean “back-up over a mile long”, then yes, it was definitely a snarl.

Look, I get that the president has to travel with tight security, but gee whiz. How many taxpayer dollars went into a two hour visit that literally stopped traffic on I-440? I know he’s the leader of the free world, but does he have to inconvenience thousands of people who were just trying to get home from work and enjoy the weekend?

Pat McCrory may have picked up a big chunk ‘o change, but I don’t think he won many votes in Raleigh yesterday.

RALEIGH - About 30 death penalty opponents marched through the city Sunday, with a small number of them planning to walk all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington.

The walk was sponsored by People of Faith Against the Death Penalty, Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation and the Capital Restorative Justice Project. Marchers started the afternoon at Central Prison, then planned to walk to the Capitol and into North Raleigh before calling it a day.

The N&O

Really? And the point of all this was…? Honestly, I think all these people accomplished today was to burn some calories.

John P. Comer, state coordinator for Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation, planned to walk Sunday from the prison to the Capitol. Sunday evening, walkers and supporters planned to meet for supper and prayer at Church of the Nativity on Ray Road.

Wearing a T-shirt that said, “The death penalty only makes more victims,” Comer said he hopes the march will bring more attention to the fight against the death penalty.

“It’s not right,” he said of capital punishment. “It’s not just.”

I actually agree with these people in principle. I too am against the death penalty. This is in contrast to Sam, the site administrator, who strongly supports it. But I think this march was useless and futile. This is a very emotional (and in my case, philosophical) issue, and you’re not going to change anyone’s mind by walking around Raleigh all day feeling sorry for the thugs and murderers on death row.

I oppose the death penalty for three simple reasons. One is philosophical, and the other two are practical.

1) As a Christian, I believe all life is sacred, even the lives of thugs, rapists, murderers, and similar prison scum. Life is the very breath of God, and as only God is allowed to give it, only God is allowed to take it away. It’s not our place to met out life and death.

2) Christian or not, I’m not above wanting to see these vile creatures suffer for their crimes. In my opinion, life in prison, especially a tough prison (no Tv’s, no weight room, etc.) is a whole lot more painful than a quick needle in the arm.

3) Even with DNA evidence, mistakes happen. Just recently, a death row inmate in North Carolina was exonerated after it was revealed that the arresting officer lied on the stand and fabricated evidence. Luckily we got it right and didn’t put that innocent man to death, but that was too close a call for my taste. I don’t like the “Oops Factor” associated with the death penalty. If you get it wrong, you don’t get do-overs.

Bush is coming to Raleigh on Friday to do a private fund raiser for Pat McCrory’s gubernatorial campaign.  I honestly don’t know why anyone would want George Bush to headline an event for them.  The man is political poison and in my opinion would only hurt a decent candidate, not help.

Fuquay-Varina is in a hurry to forcibly annex 1,000 acres along its northern border, partly because the Wake County town wants to beat its northern neighbor, Holly Springs, to the punch.

The land in question is a mostly residential area containing about 500 homes, bounded on the east by Sunset Lake Road, on the west by by Bass Lake Road and on the south by the Fuquay-Varina city limits.

A 20-year pact made between the two towns has kept them from approving voluntary or involuntary annexations on the other side of a line designated between the two, but it carries the stipulation that either town can end the pact at the 10-year mark. That means the agreement could end next year, said Mark Andrews, a Holly Springs public information officer.

The Cary News

I suppose we should be thankful this isn’t early Renaissance Italy. If it were, Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina, like Florence and Sienna of old, would arm their populaces and march out to settle it on the battlefield. Actually, I kinda wish they would do that- it would be far more entertaining!

On a serious note, THIS is what involuntary annexation gets you. Anyone think to ask what the people who actually LIVE in this tract of land want?

New services also mean residents in the area would have to start paying city taxes. Fuquay-Varina has a tax rate of 52 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

More taxes is exactly what Joani Jarrad doesn’t want.

The two-story home her family bought nine years ago in the Vintage Ridge subdivision off Sunset Lake Road is one of the homes that would be affected by the annexation.

“Our mortgage is going to go up considerably” because of the increase in taxes, Jarrad said.

She doesn’t like that the town can forcibly annex her property.

Current state law allows towns to annex unincorporated property that meets certain guidelines such as being adjacent to the town’s boundaries.

DURHAM — A public-employee union has fired a parting blast at City Manager Patrick Baker’s administration, criticizing its handling of holiday payrolls and a city policy that penalizes workers who are behind in paying their taxes.

The Herald-Sun

My point here is in regards to the penalization policy of those behind in their taxes. Apparently, city managers are allowed to suspend workers who do not have their taxes paid on time and/or go delinquent. That sounds fair to me. These peoples’ salaries are paid for with other peoples’ tax dollars. If they can’t meet the responsibility of paying their own taxes, why should they continue to get paid by other people who have met their obligation?

NEWS14.com

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama will return to the Tar Heel State on Monday.

The Illinois senator will kick off a two-week economic swing across the country with a stop in Raleigh. His “Change that Works For You” event is Monday at the Expo Center on the N.C. State Fairgrounds.

Doors open at 11 a.m., but his campaign says the event is by invitation only.

Coverage of his speech can be seen live on News 14 Carolina.

Looks like i will not get a invitation to Obama’s “invitation” only event. I am kind of glad he is doing it this way, it demonstrates his exclusiveness and want for keeping the riff-raff out of his rallys.

RALEIGH – On a day when grim economic news dominated national headlines, North Carolina consumers got a dose of more bad news on the home front as well, as Progress Energy Corp. asked for permission Friday to increase residential electricity rates in North Carolina by an average of 16.2 percent, largely to recoup rising fuel expenses.

Asheville Citizen-Times

One of the reasons for the requested rate increase is due to the price of coal soaring.  Bear in mind that just a few days ago, State Representative Pricey Harrison introduced legislation that would massively increase the price the costs on Progress Energy due to the banning of a certain type of coal that Progress uses for much of its energy.  That would be on top this already 16.2% increase.  I bet low income North Carolinians would just love her bill.  I guess that’s how the Democratic Party looks out for the poor.

The proposed rules would limit tethering to three hours in a 24-hour period, specify the equipment that can be used for tethering and set minimum sizes for outdoor pens. The rules would be implemented after an 18-month public education period.

At Tuesday’s hearing, supporters said tethering restrictions would improve animal welfare, protect public safety and reduce the number of unwanted puppies.

“The overwhelming information about this issue is that the quality of life for dogs, and their well-meaning humans, would be improved if tethering was limited or eliminated entirely,” she said.

The N&O

In case you can’t tell by now, I take a pretty dim view of any government inference in anyone’s life… but this is the exception. I’ve had dogs my entire life, and I vividly remember helping my dad build two different fences at two different houses so that our dogs could have a fenced-in yard. Tethering dogs isn’t nesacarily cruel, but it’s not treating them kindly either. Dogs, especially big ones, need room to run around and play.

You want a dog? Build a freakin’ fence! If that’s too hard, or not possible for you, then don’t get a dog. Or get a small one that stays inside most of the day.

The County Commissioners in Durham have been pushing their representatives in the state legislature to propose and pass a bill that would allow them to implement a 1% sales tax on all restaurant meals and bar tabs.  The purpose of this is for funding cultural amenities, such as the proposed Minor League Baseball museum that has been getting discussion.

As far as I am concerned this is a waste of money.  It’s not the city or county’s place to using taxpayer dollars to fund a baseball museum.  Putting that point aside, however, the response to this by the President of the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association isn’t a sensible one.

It believes the tax “would be harmful to Durham County citizens and restaurants because it is highly regressive, hurting lower-income citizens significantly more than higher-income citizens,” association President Paul Stone

That’s just simply not the case.  Lower income individuals are not dining out because they can’t afford it with or without this tax.  Even with those that do, the tax is only 1% of the bill.  On a $50 bill that’s 50 cents.  It’s the same argument Paul Luebke was making initially and I pointed out how absurd it was.

In any  case, this tax isn’t needed and if it does go on the ballot it should be voted down.

President Bush will come to Raleigh next month to raise money for GOP gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory and the state Republican Party.

The president is scheduled to attend a fundraiser on July 20 at the home of John Kane, the chairman of Kane Realty Corp.

Charlotte Observer

Bush is political poison right now.  I can’t imagine why anyone would want him to come to campaign for them.  I guess about a quarter of the country still approves of his job handling and maybe those are the kind of high brow donors that will be in attendance, but if I were on McCrory’s campaign giving him advice, it would be to run screaming in the opposite direction of George Bush.

A House committee today will examine a bill to increase the age from 12 to 16 for riders in open-bed trucks who must wear seat belts. In addition, the bill would remove several exemptions to a 1997 law and increase penalties for violations.

Supporters of the legislation, including Tom Vitaglione of the Child Fatality Task Force, say eight children died and 127 were injured in pickup truck accidents between 2002 and 2006.

Sponsors are Rep. Jennifer Weiss, a Cary Democrat, and Sen. Bill Purcell, a Laurinburg Democrat and pediatrician.

The News & Observer

And exactly what business is this of nanny staters Weiss and Purcell?  Absolutely none.  The only people whose concern this is are the parents of the children riding in the back, not a couple of busy body lawmakers who think they need to poke their noses into every facet of our lives.  I can remember riding in the back of pick up trucks when I was way, way young, like six or seven years old.

ElectriCities Annual Meeting 2008 will be held August 8-9, 2008 at the Marriott Grande Dunes Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC.

Please call Ken Raber, Senior Vice President, NCEMPA Operations/ElectriCities Services and Annual Meeting Project Manager at 1-800-768-7697 ext. 6218 for information.

And to think they had to make major rate increases to pay for this party and to help cover the costs of their bungled refinancing effort.

DURHAM - County officials are considering raising the property tax rate by about 2.7 cents next year to keep the county running at about its current levels and meet debt, cost-of-living and energy increases, according to a proposal Tuesday night by County Manager Mike Ruffin.

If county commissioners accept Ruffin’s proposed property tax rate of 71.6 cents per $100 of property value, the owner of a $186,000 home — the median home value in Durham County — would pay $1,331 in property taxes to the county. That is about $51 more than if the county doesn’t raise the tax rate.

The N&O

Illegal immigrants would continue to have access to state universities and community colleges under legislation filed Tuesday by Reps. Pricey Harrison, Paul Luebke and Rick Glazier.

Their bill would prevent the UNC Board of Governors and the State Board of Community Colleges from requiring prospective students to disclose their immigration status, Dan Kane reports.

The bill does not prevent the universities and community colleges from charging much higher out-of-state rates for students who are not U.S. citizens. That is current practice.

The News & Observer

Of course, Luebke’s name is attached to this. Surprise, surprise! In theory, I honestly have no issue with illegals going to the schools if they are paying the out of state rate, but it’s not that simple. By allowing them to even do that, the state is helping to legitimize their illegal status. Residents in both Carolinas are overwhelmingly in favor of removing these people from our states and I don’t see the legislature passing this bill. The legislators that drew this up are very far left Democrats who represent districts that are going to elect them no matter what they do more or less, so they can get away with pushing for stuff like this.