Collins Starts Online Petition to Urge Investigation of NYPA

Erie County Executive Chris Collins has started an online petition effort to encourage residents to join efforts to stop the New York Power Authority’s (NYPA) plan to raise rates and issue bonuses to employees.  Collins is asking rate payers and residents to visit StopNYPA.org and sign the online petition to ask the Attorney General to investigate this unaccountable authority and stop NYPA’s plan to rob Western New York of even more economic development dollars.

Collins wrote the Attorney General late last week to ask for a formal investigation after published reports outlined NYPA’s plan to issue bonuses to state employees after raising power rates by 12.1% on certain upstate customers over the next two years.  This move comes on top of a recent vote by the NYPA board and the State Legislature to give New York State $500 million of NYPA surplus to plug a state budget hole.

“The actions of this unelected, unaccountable Authority have robbed our region of critical economic development funds at a time when we can least afford to lose them,” said Collins.  “We started StopNYPA.org to give Western New Yorkers an opportunity to voice their frustration over this latest transgression by the NYPA.”

“Charging consumers rate increases in order to fund bonuses in these economic times is simply unacceptable,” continued Collins.  “Our taxpayers deserve better.  NYPA continues to breach of public trust and many members of the NYPA board continue to engage in the kind of self-serving politics that continues to hold back our region and our state.  Their actions cannot go unchecked.”

Collins will collect the online signatures over the coming days and forward them to the Attorney General’s office.

Senator William T. Stachowski (D 58th) participated in an afternoon news conference in Albany today in calling for a halt to a proposed New York Power Authority rate hike and bonuses for employees. In attendance were Senator’s Parker (D 21st), Senator Thompson (D 60th), Senator Breslin (D 46th), Senator Valesky (D 49th) and Senator Aubertine (D 48th).

Senator Stachowski was introduced by New York State Senator Kevin Parker of the 21st District:

“Senator Stachowski has been a leader on this and other issues that affect Upstate and Western New York.  It is my pleasure to welcome him to the podium.” “Thank you Mr. Chairman.  I want to make a couple of brief but important points.

First, rate increases and bonuses are unconscionable in this economy.  Our constituents cannot afford them and to ask taxpayers to subsidize bonuses is the worst kind of action NYPA can take. But, one thing I have learned in my many years here in the Senate is that private negotiation and effective oversight of NYPA will deliver the results we need.

Second, I would like to keep party politics out of this.  In this economy, there is no such thing as a Democratic job or a Republican job.  As the Chairman said, a job lost anywhere is a threat to our state economy everywhere, and we are working together, as One New York, to solve this problem. There are bipartisan or perhaps NONPARTISAN solutions to this issue.  NYPA is working on it, and we will all pay close attention to what they come up with and make sure that ratepayers and taxpayers get the relief they need.”

Today New York Governor David Paterson also sent a letter to NYPA President Richard Kessel asking that the rate increase and salary bonuses not go through.