While you all are are at it, you really should look into the practices of the HR director. This guy makes over a 100k and is charged with protecting the employees of this organization. In reality he is Jesse Tilton's yes man along with their shady attorney and a few other VP's. He has no interest in the employees at this company, only his own self interests and his wallet.

The man has overseen numerous sexual harrassment settlements, employee "resigations" and unjustified firings of employees who have tried to make ElectriCities a more accountable and open company to the public.

I've never known an HR director held in such low regard by the very people he's suppossed to be looking out for. The problem is, he's not bright enough to realize the employees are on to him.

Keep up the work group.

First Bruce Rose buckled under public pressure; no Sam Noble buckles and offers to give up the board member salaries. Interesting to see what will happen next.

To ElectriCities

We are republicans, democrats, friends of former staff, friends of current staff, current staff, activists, political analysts, truth squads, researchers, former congressional staff, attorneys, business owners, reporters, retirees from eastern cities and Raleigh and we all got together out of common concern about years of issues and some information sent out to us postmarked by ElectriCities back in October which was first information on the interest rates declining.

We have good sources at ElectriCities who have sent us documents so our information is current and reliable. These folks did it in response to the "guilty" at ElectriCities who sent their lies out which is what motivated us to create a group to respond. Had you punished them, they would not have done that. They were not content to sit back when they were let off the hook. They wanted to dig some more at people. Maybe you can ask Tilton to interrogate them again to see who breaks.

We have all the proof we need as to who started this "debate" just unfortunately for them, a group was ready to respond with facts and we will continue to respond since it seems facts never leave the place. Why all the secrets any way? This is the public money and a public organization.

Here's where you push for cuts in ridiculous spending.

All future annual meeting be cancelled. Hold a big workshop at Raleigh ElectriCities headquarters. Simple, cheap and easy.

Quit the employee appreciation day. Do you know once a year, they have an employee day where they go to lunch off site, hand out prepaid credit cards to all employees and alot of other gifts? Some reporter needs to ask speciafically about it and request recrods on what they spend on this. Ourtageous.

Logo items-They have a closet full of junk. Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of junk with logos on it. Stressballs, pens, plastic calculators, little flaslhights, etc, etc. Cut it!

Trade shows. No need to spend money on booths and staff travel and giev-aways to go to trade shows. What are they selling? Customers have no choice!

This is just the beginning. More to come....

More places to cut:

Magazine/newspaper/web subscriptions.- I am certain you could save 5,000K a year or more by cutting all the subscriptions to trade journals, websites and newspapers.

Food- Do you now how much money they spend on drinks and food? We're talking thousands of catering dollars, bottled water, cans of coke and coffeee service, Hotel meeting space and catering costs. Have meetings on member city property or at EC headquarters. Bring a bag lunch. Drink tap water.

Do you know before many Board meetings, Board members drive up the night before and stay at Raliegh hotels and go out to dinner and charge it all back to ElectriCities, They do. And they wine and dine. Cut it. No more day before travel or it's on your dime. Sorry. These are tough times.

Printing- Take a look at their Annual Reports. Beautiful. Uneccessary. Do you know every year they spend over 100K for their annual report? All they need to do by law is provide their financials. Cut out the slick, pretty PR until you get costs in line.  For that matter, cut out the brochures, econimic develoment slicks, and fact sheets. They could save 250K a year if they quit hiring outrside consultants, printers and others who develop these publications.

Advertising.-Cut it. Public Power week-Cut it. Economic develpoment ads-Cut it.

Energy Solution Partners-Cut it!

Sponsorships- Do you know ElectriCiuties spends thousands a year sponsoring NC Goverment meetings, economic development conferences and even the Virginia Association of Broadcaster meetings. (And most of the time staff travels to these shows on and expense it.)Cut it!

American Public Power Assocation meetings (APPA)-Do you staff goes to numerous APPA events and conferences through-out the year at places like Colorado, Washington DC, Las Vegas, etc. Cut it!

Lobbying events-Do you know they spend thousands of dollars on a Legislative Appreciation recpetion in Raleigh and a Congrssional reception in DC. THOUSANDS. Cut it.

Professional Memberships-Do you know they have memberships in numerous professional organizations that require annual dues and fees? Many are very expensive. And this doesn't include Chamber of Commerce annual dues, Electric Trade Association annual dues, etc. etc. Cut it.

Etc, etc. There are golf outings, numerous consultants, gym equipment, big screen TV's in meeting rooms. It goes on and on. Ken Raber says Bare bones. HAH! There's so much waste. The cities are feeling the pain. Time for ElectriCities to feel the pain too.

Cut and Cut and Cut.

Sam doesn't want to start the Board salary cut until next year because he'll only have to suffer that one year without the salary. Then he's gone.

Sam was off the Board a few years back for a year or so and was miserable. He missed all the freebies so bad he got right back on.

He's a Jesse Tilton yes man. But if I were Jesse, I'd be wary of him now. He's leaving and has nothing to lose now. His loyalty is done and with no more freebies and the Board's trips and dinners and expenses under scrutiny, he'll probably throw Jesse and maybe even Raber to the dogs.

Keep going Telegram.There are many morre stories about the spending at this place. 

http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/2008/08/03/0804electricities.html

We negotiated an outstanding rate," Raber said. "I believe it's a very reasonable price. We are very conscious of costs."

He said to get the good rate, a contract through 2012 has been negotiated with the resort.

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They signed a contract through 2012???!!?  No wonder they screwed up refinancing the debt. What kind of stupidity is locking yourself into a place for five years? That does not make good business sense. They will have to pay a pretty penny to get out of that contract. Never EVER lock youself into a contract like that with a hotel or resort. Things change. The economy changes. Gas prices go up, Electric rates go up. That hotel must be laughing themselves silly after signing that deal.

And Richard Worsinger says it's not a party? Uh, yes, It's a party. Believe me, I've been. One year in Wilmington, NC, they took a dinner cruise and gave out thousands of dollars in door prizes.

Keep going Telegram...........