Below is my article in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.
Well, I would guess some of you are sure I’m already a member of several – and it’s true, I am one of those who was waiting with bated breath for the premier of the new “Ahsoka” television show in the “Star Wars” universe … but stay with me here.
Like many of you, I’ve been tremendously disappointed with the lack of accountability and responsiveness the Board of Light & Power (BLP) has shown to the city, the ratepayers, and members of the community. A couple months ago I wrote a column about the pressing issues of climate change – one that did not even mention questions of energy generation – only to be greeted the next day by a multi-page critical email (that included personal attacks) from the BLP General Manager. I expressed confusion as to why he was writing to me with such biting criticism on a column that did not even mention his organization – particularly from his work email and clearly in his role as a municipal employee. He responded with several more pages which, I confess, I did not read.
But even I can be cranky and verbose, and so that’s not the real issue. Instead, this kind of combative behavior is symptomatic of the deeper problems with the way the BLP is governed. The fundamental role of a board is to exercise what’s known as its fiduciary duty – basically its obligation to its mission and clients or customers. This means keeping the mission at the forefront and making good decisions that fulfill that mission, using resources well, and being responsive to the community. That’s not what the BLP has chased after for several years now.
It took a grassroots movement of over 1,000 people to stand up and say no to putting a fossil- fuel burning power plant on the environmentally vulnerable Harbor Island. When contamination was found on the island – not only from its former use as a city landfill but also from half a century of coal-burning power production, BLP fought every step of the way to investigate and remediate the damage, refusing to work with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) or engage collaboratively with the city. Instead, they hired their own lawyer and public relations firm – at the cost of ratepayers’ hard spent dollars – to protect themselves instead of what truly needs protecting: the beautiful and amazing community in which we all live. When a member of our City Council sought to ensure the fragile waterfront ecosystem of our community could be protected through an amendment proposed to the Planning Commission, the BLP fought that as well.
And lest anyone think they have heard your voice and turned back from fossil-fuel based power generation, they recently renewed the permit that allows them to build on Harbor Island.
So, when I got a phone call inviting me to join the Board of Light and Power Charter Change Coalition (BLPCCC), I was curious to see what this group was – given the claims made by letters in this newspaper and at City Council meetings about back-room machinations and that this is all about trying to steal BLP money. Imagine my surprise when I found myself in a small room in a public library with around a dozen people from all ages who simply cared deeply for Grand Haven and wanted to stop the continued damage BLP is doing – damage the current governance structure has not put an end to on their own, despite their duty to the community.
And it really is – despite the nearly half a hundred thousand dollars BLP is using to fund this battle – a simple and clear question of governance. Energy management was overseen by the City Council for over 60 years before 1959, when a new coal-fired power plant was constructed and a different structure was called for. Hence, the original charter change was approved which established the BLP as we know it. But that governance structure isn’t needed anymore. The BLP doesn’t generate any power; it purchases it from the grid. It’s half the size it was when it was a power generating utility. Other city departments are the same size in our city governance and function quite well. And, no, despite the (slightly misogynistic) claims from the BLP (in an insert sent to customers) that our City Manager is not qualified to be in charge – she wouldn’t be the one running things. Instead, the City Manager would appoint a qualified director to lead the new Department of Energy. Just like she does for Public Safety. Just like she does for Public Works.
Like I said, it all comes down to governance. Originally, I thought working to get new people elected to the BLP was the way to change things. However, whereas our City Council members serve four-year terms and the mayor serves a two-year term (and thus they all have to be responsive and responsible to the people or they won’t last long), members of the BLP board serve six-year terms – meaning that when things go off the rails it takes far too long to set them right.
And when the community does elect someone to stand up and be a voice for the community – which they did when they elected Andrea Hendrick to the board – that person is met with discrimination and sexism. Though the BLP touted the Human Relations Commission as vindicating them entirely, that’s far from the case. The report itself reads, “What this investigation has determined is that there is a pattern of highly concerning behaviors not only by members of the Board of Directors but also by the administrative staff, and those behaviors have served to undermine and silence a board member who often holds a minority opinion on the board.”
This governance clearly does not serve our community well. And the grass-roots folks who are a part of BLPCCC are putting their heart and souls into protecting Grand Haven. The BLP can write checks for tens of thousands of dollars, while at our meetings we have counted the cost of copies down to a partial penny. When we were short of what we needed to get the word out, members literally offered to write a check to help get us over the finish line.
Don’t believe the BLP propaganda. Spend some time on the BLPCCC website at http://blpccc.org. So far, I’ve discovered being a part of cabal means spending two hours weekly with people who print out emails and take notes on every minutia to ensure they are doing it right. If only the BLP put as much effort into serving Grand Haven and listening to the community as this group does, we’d be in a different place entirely.
The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com. The views in this column are his alone as a private citizen whose employer is a BLP rate-payer. They do not necessarily reflect the views of his church.