Scoring The 1st Danville City Council Forum (Part #5)

We’re back after the halftime break at last week’s Danville City Council candidate forum. Let’s quickly jump to the next question.

Here’s the links to the previous articles: Introduction & Question #1 – Question #2 – Question #3 – Question #4

You’ll find the scoring system explained in those articles. Now let’s take a look at the scoreboard at the end of the first half…

Buckle your seatbelts, we’re going in.

Question #5 (asked by Robert Benson): Will you support an electric rate increase this year?

We’re going right to left, starting with Sheila Baynes.

• Sheila Baynes: Unfortunately, there is going to be an increase. (+2) Have to understand that there is a deficit in the utility fund. (+3 and +2 for her response giving Robert Benson a derpy face because he knows that fact too.) Not in favor, but has to be done. (+3)
• Trina McLaughlin: Echoes Sheila Baynes’ comments. (+3 because Baynes nailed it) Will not support an increase. (+2 for the stand, MUTE for the financial irresponsibility) Need to look at areas that need to be cut. (You can’t cut a $10 million deficit) Find out what’s necessary and what’s a luxury. (There are no luxuries in Danville Utilities’ budget)
• Philip Haley: Proposed rate increase is 1.5% (+3) Determined by Utility Commission who understand the way the power company works. Not by City Council. (+3) No one likes a rate increase, but you have to make ends meet. (+2) It’s not looking at the city budget for cuts, it’s looking at Danville Utilities budget. (+3)
• Jim Lindley: Doesn’t support a rate increase. (+2) But it will happen so what he says doesn’t matter. (And he’ll take his ball and go home, too. MUTE) Theme of bad decisions made by the city. (Didn’t see him protesting them back then. MUTE) Needs more transparency in utility bills. (You couldn’t get much more clearer. Use the electricity, pay for it the next month. MUTE) Have to look at this from citizens point of view. (+2 because I’m generous) 60+% of citizens live in poverty (No. Thomas Motley pulled that number out of his ass. I’m giving Lindley +5 points for listening to Thomas Motley’s words, but MUTE MUTE MUTE MUTE MUTE and taking those points right back for even assigning a small bit of truth to a statistic that is total horsecrap.)
• Larry Campbell: “Brothers and sisters, this is one issue that has bothered me for quite a while”. (+2 but a MUTE for the “brothers and sisters”. Try again, Uncle Larry.) No one wants to see a utility increase. Utilities nationwide are going away from coal produced electricity. (+3) Base charge is going from $7.80 to $9.00. (+2 for his homework on that) We have no choice because of the $10 million hole we have. (+3 because he read my BreakDown article on that) Deficits that remain untouched affect your bond ratings. (+3)
• Robin Dabney: Ratepayers & taxpayers have to be penalized for fraudulent activities at the utility company. (That has nothing to do with the rate increase. MUTE) We have to pay the cost of that. (+2, but the costs of the overtime abuse and theft was infinitesimal compared to the entire Danville Utilities budget. Quit making people think that a handful of bad employees are responsible for rate increases. MUTE). City should inform citizens on how to cut back on electricity use. (Like the energy efficiency programs that Danville Utilities already has in place or the newsletters that Danville Utilities already puts out? MUTE)
• Lee Vogler: I don’t support the increase. We were $19 million in the hole two years ago. (+3) Talking about lowering the transfer from Danville Utilities’ profits to the general fund (+3).
• Sherman Saunders: Not sure now. Will have to wait and see since we’re in the budget process now. (+2) Chances are he may support it. (We couldn’t get more vague than that. MUTE) Real estate tax would have to be raised to lower general fund transfer. (+3) He probably will support it because of the costs. (Well, that’s clearer now. MUTE for the flip-flop in less than 30 seconds.)
• Madison Whittle: It seems inevitable that there will be an increase. (+3) Wants to be on the Utility Commission to learn more about the process whether elected or not. (+3 and a bonus +2 for that willingness to learn)
• Thomas Motley: Totally against the utility rate increase. (+3) Three in the last six years. (+2) Let’s do an audit of Danville Utilities, may find money somewhere. Believes they haven’t had an audit in the past 16 years. (Except for the annual audits, of course. MUTE & and another MUTE for more rectally produced speculation. “I’m talking about an outside audit”. (Gah! MUTE). Utilities is entertaining buying a solar farm in the Kentuck area. (No. They’re buying the electricity from the proposed solar farm, not buying the solar farm itself. MUTE He’s been told that multiple times yet still gets it wrong. MUTE)  Time’s called but Motley keeps going. My parents are on fixed incomes. Jessica Griffith calls time again. Hilarity ensues. (And a MUTE for turning Denice Thibodeau’s last name into Cavanaugh.)

That’s the end of question #5 and my mute button has broken again. If a candidate didn’t know much about Danville Utilities or the way that the rates are set, they got beat up badly on this question. Let’s look at the scoreboard.

Three more questions to go. We’ll keep it rolling with our next article in this series… and it’s only here on SouthsideCentral!