Community Meeting Recap

Press Release from Akwesasne Electric Initiative

AKWESASNE – The public meeting held on Thursday July 10, 2014 was attended by approximately 25 community members.

Topics of the meeting included the ongoing National Grid electrical utility overdue account field collections and the shutoffs that have taken place.

In response to the many questions related to this practice, several community activists have stepped forward to act as ombudsmen and ombudswomen for complaints related to utility providers.

Wil Stehlin, Curtis White, Rarahkwisere and Patricia Thomas have all agreed to look into complaints related to utility provision on the Akwesasne Territory. Illegally imposed taxes related to utility services will also be investigated.

Contact Wil Stehlin at 315-705-7133 for more information on the consumer representation assistance.

Additional information will be made available on Facebook at the Akwesasne Electric Initiative group page and also at the Aka Unity web page - http://akaunity.com

Nia:wen to all community members who attended the most recent public meeting. Your support is incredibly important and your voices have been heard.

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Also discussed at the meeting was the possibility of establishing an office. This would centralize their efforts and eventually help community members with several issues.

Patricia Thomas said, "We are going to make a solid attempt at staying on this issue. We would also like to help people fill out taxation forms for any public utilities. There are a lot of things and it's like an octopus, one leg at a time, but I'm here to serve."

Wil Stehlin thanked Pat for volunteering, saying, "We are honored to have her 55 + years of experience to help us."

Another idea was brought up by Pat Phillips who spoke about the MOU recently signed by the tribe. He said, "We should pressure the Tribe in a positive way to enforce the low cost power portion of the MOU. The governor got the $30 million already, why don't we get our low cost power now." A petition was suggested.

About National Grid overdue bills, one community member said, "We need to all come together. We need to stop putting it on the desk of the tribe and the nation, and put it on our own desk. Whatever your reason for not paying your bill, what are you going to do about it? We need to hold National Grid accountable. How can they allow this kind of debt to build up on a person? Why didn't they come to our houses to collect? If they were scared, it's not our fault. We need to put the blame back on them, people are signing contracts without knowing their rights."

The main message of the meeting was that they are looking for people to share their experiences with National Grid for documentation.

Wil said, "We want your experience with National Grid. Tell us your story with them and we can collaborate and come up with ideas." Wil said there is no consistency in the way they are collecting. "We need awareness and unity," he added

Please visit akaunity.com and share your story and leave your email address to be updated.