• ‘Kimo’ a good read • KIUC ignored concerns ‘Kimo’ a good read I live on Oahu and love reading James “Kimo” Rosen’s column in your paper online. He has unusual ideas and can be both amusing and amazing! I
• ‘Kimo’ a good read • KIUC ignored concerns
‘Kimo’ a good read
I live on Oahu and love reading James “Kimo” Rosen’s column in your paper online. He has unusual ideas and can be both amusing and amazing! I look forward to reading your paper because of James “Kimo” Rosen and hope to see more of him.
Harmony Bentosino
Kapolei
KIUC ignored concerns
It is difficult to express how frustrated and dismayed I am at the continuously baffling behavior of the KIUC Board of Directors and CEO David Bissell over this smart meter fiasco. It is because of their unwillingness to enter into meaningful dialogue well over a year ago that they now put themselves in the position of having to hold a special ballot vote on something that could have been so easily resolved between themselves and the membership.
Over a year ago, many members voiced numerous concerns. Intelligent questions were waived aside like pesky flies. This dismissive attitude and arrogance are now costing all of us once again. It would have been so reasonable for KIUC leadership to have anchored this smart meter canoe and taken their time for due diligence, especially as members raised doubts about smart meter merits. Instead, KIUC paddled faster thinking if they could just get all those meters on before folks figured it out, they’d be home free. Wrong! Now, there are 3,000 members who are being pushed out of the KIUC canoe by being forced to pay the ridiculously calculated fees.
Sometime in the coming months when the ballot arrives I would ask that we all show KIUC that punishing members who stand up for privacy and health is unacceptable. Requiring just some members to pay is like telling a disabled person they have to pay for all the costs of the special street curbs and ramps into buildings. What about special needs programs for children in public schools? We all pitch in with our tax dollars and the high cost gets shared among us all. It is not normal to punish people who suffer from health problems, but KIUC wants to do just that and they would like you to give them that permission. If KIUC gets away with imposing meter reader fees onto those who have pushed back against their wishes, then look out all co-op members, the future will not be so bright with that kind of power at KIUC. Rural electrical cooperative, or greedy utility company? It’s getting hard to tell these days.
Kathleen Viernes
Kapaa
