“I have concerns about the push to attempt a government takeover of our utilities in Monroe County. Next week, the County Legislature will vote on whether to spend $1 million dollars on a public utility study, and I think there are surely better ways to spend that amount of taxpayer funds.

In addition to the costs of the study, I am uneasy about the impact government-controlled power would have on a large-scale basis in Monroe County. The cost for taxpayers to buy out Rochester Gas and Electric’s (RG&E) existing infrastructure to make critical infrastructure investments mandated by New York state and the loss of $100 million in tax revenue to the county (as RG&E is currently the county’s largest taxpayer) would all have a critical impact on local affordability, ratepayers, local businesses and our community, not to mention the impact on our local workforce and the ability to respond in times of crisis and emergencies.

I believe we can continue to advocate and expect to see greater improvement in the customer relations and operations of RG&E, however, if we expect greater efficiency and effectiveness from a government and politician-controlled power provider, we will be severely disappointed.”