In his capacity as Chair of the Montgomery County Senate Delegation, Senator Rich Madaleno (D-18) has written the Public Service Commission asking if Pepco's performance on restoring power after outages meets industry standards. Madaleno says the outage last Sunday, which left thousands of customers in the dark for days, "is just the latest in a series of events that have pushed the community’s patience to the breaking point." Madaleno also announces his intent to hold a joint hearing of the county's Senate and House delegations on Pepco's performance.
Following is his letter to the Public Service Commission.
July 29, 2010
Chairman Douglas R. N. Nazarian
Commissioner Harold D. Williams
Commissioner Susanne Brogan
Commissioner Lawrence Brenner
Commissioner Therese M. Goldsmith
Maryland Public Service Commission
William Donald Schaefer Tower
6 St. Paul St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
Dear Commissioners:
I write to you today in relation to your authority to hear matters about the quality of utility service, specifically electrical utility service, and more specifically Pepco service, in region. As you certainly know, our region was hard hit by a sudden, intense storm on the afternoon of Sunday, July 25th. Hundreds of thousands of residents in Montgomery County (and elsewhere) lost power that afternoon, and, as I write this letter (four days later), many thousands of Montgomery County residents are still without power and without reliable information as to when they may expect the restoration of that power.
While everyone understands that natural events do occur and that it may take some time for Pepco to get their service up and running again, this outage is just the latest in a series of events that have pushed the community’s patience to the breaking point. People have long memories when it comes to losing their electricity, and they still remember Pepco’s poor performance after the ice storm in 1999 and following Tropical Storm Isabel in 2003. Additionally, communities around my district and around the county have stories about frequent outages whenever winds gust over 15 mph or a heavy rainfall occurs.
In a press release issued by Pepco in 2004 the vice president for emergency preparedness spoke about how the company was “continuously improving by developing our ability to communicate with our customers and providing more information to help our customers plan their lives…” While I respect the work that Pepco has done to restore service after this most recent storm, their inability to provide accurate and timely information to their customers – again – has infuriated many.
I would like to know from the Public Service Commission (PSC) what, if any, industry standards are in place for assessing the quality of restoration work done by an electric utility following widespread outages, expected or unexpected. Are there methods in place for assessing the company’s ability to communicate with customers? Where does Pepco stand in relation to such standards? If they do not meet some minimum standard, what consequences do they face?
Considering this is the second large scale failure of their distribution network this year, one may conclude that this network is no longer adequate for the weather challenges of the mid-Atlantic region. I would also like to ask if the PSC has reviewed Pepco’s equipment maintenance and replacement schedule to see if it meets industry standards. As we deal with the aftermath of this storm, constituents have been contacting my office and those of my colleagues to report repeated outages during summer months from thunderstorms. There appears to be growing discontent with Pepco’s quality of service in general. Therefore, is there an objective measurement of performance for a distribution company and how does Pepco rate on any scale used by the PSC?
As the chair of the Montgomery Senate Delegation, I intend to convene a joint hearing with our county House colleagues to review these issues later this fall. We will provide Pepco with an opportunity to present an analysis of their performance during the two major system failures, as well as the general performance when dealing with outages. I hope that the PSC will also participate in the hearing and address some of these concerns.
We have lived through too many years of too many unmet promises and we need to do better for our residents and our business community.
Sincerely,
Richard S. Madaleno, Jr.
cc: Senator Jamie Raskin, Vice Chair, Montgomery County Senate Delegation
Delegate Brian Feldman, Chair, Montgomery County House Delegation
Delegate Susan Lee, Vice Chair, Montgomery County House Delegation
Montgomery County Council
Ms. Therese Yewell, State Relations Director, Pepco Holdings Inc.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Madaleno Writes Public Service Commission on Pepco
In his capacity as Chair of the Montgomery County Senate Delegation, Senator Rich Madaleno (D-18) has written the Public Service Commission asking if Pepco's performance on restoring power after outages meets industry standards. Madaleno says the outage last Sunday, which left thousands of customers in the dark for days, "is just the latest in a series of events that have pushed the community’s patience to the breaking point." Madaleno also announces his intent to hold a joint hearing of the county's Senate and House delegations on Pepco's performance.
Following is his letter to the Public Service Commission.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Forehand vs. Kagan on the Death Penalty
From the District 17 Senate forum on July 19. Kagan went after Forehand for missing a vote on the issue and she is correct.
Arora All In for Leisure World
Here's another ad in Leisure World News from District 19 House candidate Sam Arora. So where are the other D19 house contestants, not to mention the at-large council contenders?
Fire Fighters, Police Announce General Assembly Endorsements
International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1664 and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35 have announced their endorsements in the state legislative races. The two unions have cooperated in making these endorsements jointly. They will be endorsing for County Council later. Following is their release.
Peace Action Montgomery Responds to Kramer
Peace Action Montgomery has sent the following response to Delegate Ben Kramer's (D-19) criticism of its questionnaire referencing Israel.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Leggett, Council Go After Pepco
County Executive Ike Leggett and the Montgomery County Council have sent letters complaining about the length of time Pepco has spent repairing power lines in the wake of the recent storm. Your author is behind the County Executive and the County Council one hundred percent. When I lived in D.C. for nine years, I did not lose power once. Upon moving to MoCo, your author has lost power on average every three to four months. We await Pepco's response.
Following are the two letters.
The Gang's All Here for Kirill
Delegate Kirill Reznik (D-39) has announced endorsements from Governor Martin O'Malley, Attorney General Doug Gansler, Comptroller Peter Franchot and County Executive Ike Leggett. Reznik is also one of a handful of candidates in the county who has landed every single major endorsement so far. Despite the fact that he was appointed in 2007 to replace Delegate Nancy King (who became a Senator), it is becoming increasingly obvious that Reznik is cruising to election in his own right. This shows just how important the Central Committee's appointment power is as David Lublin noted a long time ago.
Following is Reznik's press release.
Doug Gansler Endorses District 18 Democratic Team
Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler has released the following statement in support of District 18 Senator Rich Madaleno and Delegates Ana Sol Gutierrez, Jeff Waldstreicher and Al Carr.
Mike Lenett: Actions Speak Louder than Words
Here is the latest in District 19 Senator Mike Lenett's series of early and physically imposing mailers. (This one is 27x12 open and 9x12 folded!) There is a wide variety of content here provided that people will take the time to read it. But we really want to know when Lenett will bring back that baseball bat!
MCGEO Digs Up Dirt on Raiding Rival
MCGEO has unearthed the following unfair labor practice charges filed by a member of its rival union in Indiana.
The above named union, (UPSEU) has been engaging in various acts which would include but are not limited to:
A.) Restricting my ability to participate in local union elections by refusing access to current membership data and by prohibiting other members from obtaining accurate information about all eligible candidates.
B.) Consistently failing to uphold specific terms of the labor agreement between Professional Transportation Inc. and the UPSEU. Example: Management has been allowed to unfairly discipline union employees without any union representation or without being subjected to an established grievance process. Employees who have been disciplined or wrongfully terminated for alleged misconduct have not been allowed to defend themselves against the employers unsubstantiated claims or charges. The union will not acknowledge these violations even after being notified.
C.) Union has refused to provide any information about the name(s) or local office(s) of a legitimate union representative. This has prevented members from seeking assistance with matters that are relevant to employment or to their contract.
D.) Union has refused to provide any information about collected dues money or any other financial matters which are directly related to the membership of the UPSEU.
Now these are merely charges, not proof of actual misconduct. They would have had to be heard by a National Labor Relations Board Administrative Law Judge and perhaps have been sent up to the board itself. We do not know the outcome of these accusations.
But they are juicy, no?
Notes and Observations in District 16
By Marc Korman.
The race for District 16 is heating up with 13 candidates and 100 degree temperatures. Here are a few random notes and observations from the front, combined with some free advice to the candidates.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
New Saqib Mailer to Washington Grove
This is District 39 Senate candidate Saqib Ali's fifth(!) mailer, this one targeted for Washington Grove. It features endorsements from two Washington Grove Council Members, one of whom calls incumbent Nancy King a "Blue Dog."
Herman Taylor Trying to Raise Money
Delegate Herman Taylor (D-14) is trying to raise money in his long-shot race against Congresswoman Donna Edwards. Check out the event announcement below.
Taylor's money situation is murky. Marc Korman found that he had raised just $4,000 in his last FEC report. David Lublin discovered that his website was shut down due to lack of payment. But somebody had to pay for Taylor's campaign rally, business cards and email blasts.
This is not only one of the worst-run campaigns for Congress of all time, but it should also be a romp for the auditors.
Arora Campaign Responds to MPW Post on Poll
The campaign of District 19 Delegate candidate Sam Arora has responded to our post on its poll, in which one of our spies claimed fellow candidate Bonnie Cullison was described as a "union boss" and a message of being willing to "stand up against labor unions who have bankrupted Montgomery County," was tested. Following is a message from Arora campaign manager Russ Rampersad.
Becky Wagner Gets Tough with County Council Incumbents
County Council At-Large candidate Becky Wagner has delivered the toughest criticism to date by any challenger of the incumbents' budget policies. Following is an email she sent to her list.
Ben Kramer, Mike Lenett Rip Peace Action Montgomery
Delegate Ben Kramer (D-19) and Senator Mike Lenett (D-19) have responded harshly to a question by Peace Action Montgomery on its recent questionnaire to MoCo candidates. OK, "harshly" doesn't do it justice!
5. In the past, the Maryland state legislature has exercised its power to order the state’s pension system to divest its holdings in companies that are complicit in illegal activities in other countries. The World Court has ruled that Israel’s separation wall and settlements in the West Bank are illegal. Would you support a similar divestment bill targeting companies that knowingly participate in these illegal activities in Israel?Delegate Ben Kramer, who is running for re-election, sent this response:
July 20, 2010
Peace Action Montgomery
P.O. Box 1653
Olney, Maryland 20830
To Whom it May Concern:
I read your questionnaire with interest and was prepared to offer responses until I read the fifth and final question.
It is with great offense and disgust that I read the fifth question (statement), equating the State of Israel's efforts to defend itself from terrorism with nations that promote the very terrorism which has plagued the people of Israel.
The Maryland State Legislature has exercised its power to order the state's pension system to divest its holdings in companies that do business with nations that sponsor and support terrorism and genocide. Your twisted and convoluted efforts to draw a comparison between Israel's need to protect its residents, (Jews and non-Jews alike) from the daily savagery of terrorist bombers and murderers, to the atrocities of terrorist nations, reveals your ignorance and prejudice.
You are apparently under the mistaken belief that the role of the Jew is to be complicit in his/her own death and contentedly succumb as a willing victim to the overwhelming numbers of hostile neighbors, who surround the only bastion of democracy in the Middle East.
Therefore, in response to your anti-zionist, anti-semitic "questionnaire," I offer you the following:
As a member of the Maryland State Legislature, I will make every possible effort to ensure that Maryland maintains the strongest cultural and economic ties with the State of Israel. I will do my very best to influence any and all colleagues in the Maryland General Assembly to do the same.
Furthermore, I will encourage all of my fellow candidates, here in Montgomery County and across the State, to reject your less than subtle anti-zionist, anti-semitic "questionnaire" and appropriately dispose of it.
Please convey to your 2,700 "dues-paying" members my response and let them know that if they embrace your position on this issue, that I have no interest in their support or vote.
Ben Kramer
Senator Mike Lenett sent this response:
July 27, 2010Several other politicians tell us that they did not bother to send back the questionnaire because of the anti-Israel question. As a result, this will go down as one of the least effective questionnaires of the cycle.
Peace Action Montgomery
P.O. Box 1653
Olney, Maryland 20830
Dear Peace Action Montgomery:
I wholeheartedly share the views so well expressed by Delegate Ben Kramer in his letter to you dated July 20, 2010. I take extreme offense at Question 5 of your survey, which equates Israel’s defensive actions to protect its very existence with the actions of nations that sponsor terrorism. Delegate Kramer said it all and I could not improve upon his words. Like him, I will dispose of your questionnaire and I do not care what you convey to your members.
Sincerely,
Mike Lenett
The Politics of Union Bashing
Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg is introducing a new bill that would mandate a two-tier disability program for non-school employees other than fire fighters (who bargained one years ago), which is anathema to MCGEO and the Fraternal Order of Police. This is no mere bill, but rather the start of a new round of union bashing by Trachtenberg and the Washington Post going into the last six weeks of the election campaign.
The findings relate to the need for the Office of Human Resources (OHR) to improve internal controls and management oversight to ensure SCDR [service-connected disability retirement] benefits are protected against abuse, and for the Department of Police to ensure compliance with medical examination program requirements and related standards regarding the health status and functional capabilities of police officers.A ream of data ignored by the Post shows the true size of the county’s disabled police workforce. The number of officers claiming disability benefits since 1985 has averaged eleven per year. That’s right: only eleven. And disabled retirements have accounted for just 1.2% of sworn officers over the last twenty-five years. Furthermore, the two poster children for abuse – officers who collected disability but went on to other jobs – were Assistant Police Chiefs John King and William C. O’Toole. Both of them were senior management who were not represented by the union.
Lost in all of this is that the Fraternal Order of Police actually put forth a proposal for a three-tier disability system last year. Here it is:
For whatever reason, this proposal did not make it through bargaining with the Police Department. If management had accepted it, a multi-tier system would be in operation today.
The bottom line is that the Inspector General diagnosed management failures as responsible for program problems. Management could fix them tomorrow by cracking down. But that would mean that senior managers like King and O’Toole could not avail themselves of benefits so easily. And so, at the hands of opportunistic politicians like Trachtenberg and union-bashing opinion writers like Hockstader, a management issue has been morphed into a “union problem.” Just how far they are willing to go is demonstrated by the fact that Trachtenberg accuses the Inspector General of ethics violations but still uses his work to score political points.
And so this last-minute bill is not about policy. If it was, it would have been introduced months ago and subject to public hearings and free and fair debate. Instead, it is all about giving Duchy Trachtenberg something to run on and giving Post editorial writer Lee Hockstader a reason to beat up unions over a management issue and slam any politicians willing to talk to them.
This sort of thing is why many people hate politics.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Berliner Goes After Pepco
Check out this email that District 1 County Council Member Roger Berliner sent out to his constituents. If you are a Pepco executive, well... maybe you should take some aspirin and look at it tomorrow.
Press Releases You Don't Need to Read
We have nothing against District 19 Delegate candidate Hoan Dang, but he has sent out one of the most inane press releases of the entire election cycle. Because it was emailed, at least no trees were sacrificed for the purpose of such banality. Enjoy!
Door Knocking Can be Hazardous to Your Health
This is Delegate Anne Kaiser's car. Or, more accurately, this was Delegate Anne Kaiser's car. Kaiser was out door knocking on Sunday when the storm hit. She took refuge in her car to wait it out, but unfortunately, a giant tree branch had the same idea. Kaiser's lap was full of broken glass but at least the branch did not make it all the way in.
Next time a storm blows through, could someone tell nearby trees that Kaiser has been endorsed by both the Sierra Club and the Maryland League of Conservation Voters?
Sam Arora Tests Anti-Union Message in Poll
One of our spies reported receiving a poll call on behalf of District 19 Delegate candidate Sam Arora last night, and boy, was this one a doozy!
NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland PAC Announces More Endorsements
NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland PAC has announced a new round of endorsements. (Click here for their first round.) The new round includes more state legislative picks plus the Montgomery County Council. It's noteworthy that despite - or perhaps because of - their public thrashing by House Majority Leader Kumar Barve, they still have not endorsed either of his district teammates, Delegates Jim Gilchrist and Luiz Simmons. (We hear that Gilchrist still has not submitted his questionnaire.)
Following is their press release.
MCGEO Rival Email Bombardment Continues
NCEU/UPSEU, the rival union seeking to take over two MCGEO bargaining units, is continuing its prohibited campaign of bombarding county government email addresses with anti-MCGEO propaganda. Here is the latest one sent out last week, which is at least the fourth(!) This one is down and dirty, ranting about MCGEO’s “non-existent political clout,” President Gino Renne’s legal issues and even comparisons of union leader salaries. MEEOOWWWRR!
Chevy Chase Post-Storm Photos
Something’s Going On
The Montgomery County chapter of the National Organization for Women (MCNOW) has perhaps the most relaxed endorsement procedure in the county. All you have to do is fill out the online questionnaire, click submit, and if you answer correctly, you have a good chance of getting the endorsement. Multiple candidates have told your author that they did not even have to attend an interview. MCNOW also frequently endorses more candidates than seats. For example, they have endorsed both candidates in all four marquee Senate primaries, four Delegate candidates in Districts 14 and 15, five Delegate candidates in District 18 and eight (!!) in District 16. In the at-large County Council race, they have endorsed six candidates for four seats:
Jane de Winter
Marc Elrich
Nancy Floreen
George Leventhal
Hans Riemer
Becky Wagner
Not Duchy Trachtenberg.
You read that correctly: Not Duchy Trachtenberg.
12. Is there anything in your background that might disqualify you from an endorsement by MCNOW?What kind of a question is that? Eli El might have a problem answering it, but would any other candidate in MoCo? Your author has never seen a question like that asked by any other endorsing organization in the county.
Something’s going on, folks, something’s going on…
Monday, July 26, 2010
Martin O'Malley Endorses Jennie Forehand
Governor Martin O'Malley has endorsed District 17 Senator Jennie Forehand in her contest with former Delegate Cheryl Kagan. Following is Forehand's press release.
Maryland LCV Releases Second Round of Endorsements
The Maryland League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has released its second round of endorsements. (Click here for the first round from June.) In MoCo, its recommended candidates now include:
Brian Feldman, Susan Lee Endorse Manno for Senate
Montgomery County House Delegation Chair Brian Feldman (D-15) and Vice-Chair Susan Lee (D-16) have endorsed Delegate Roger Manno for the District 19 Senate seat. This is interesting considering that nearly the entire Senate leadership endorsed incumbent Senator Mike Lenett. Following is Manno's press release.
