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| LEONARD BENTZ |
Nothing like having the luxury of a taxpayer-funded tour around the district during the last week of a campaign to keep a candidate in the public eye. Just ask incumbent Public Service Commissioner Leonard Bentz.
Bentz announced today a series of “ratepayer forums,” where Bentz and his staff will meet with voters, er ratepayers, “to assist Mississippi Ratepayers with their utility concerns in the continuation of the series of Ratepayers’ Forums. Information on registration for several utility assistance programs such as LIHEAP, Lifeline/LinkUp, Weatherization assistance, Zap the Gap and the No-Call program will be available. Other utility questions and current issues involving the Public Service Commission will also be addressed.”
We wonder if the “other issues” Bentz wants to talk about include the impending 48 percent electricity rate increase that’s coming to the people of the Southern District due to his support of the Kemper Coal Plant.
Bentz highlights the fact that he, himself, will be on hand in Pascagoula at the Senior Citizens Center at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 26. Maybe some of these voters -- sorry, we mean ratepayers -- Bentz is targeting with his feel-good tour will be on hand to ask him the hard questions about his voting record.
Are these meetings illegal? We don’t know.
Do they appear unethical at this juncture in the campaign? In our opinion, yes, they do.
Just like what we overheard the other night on Supertalk (yes, we do listen) when, during the live broadcast of a candidate forum in Jones County, it was announced that Commissioner Bentz’s “staff” was set up in the corner ready to answer any questions about the PSC.
The guy has some nerve. Either that, or he thinks he is pure Teflon. We’ll see what the voters think on Aug 2, whether or not they attend these “Ratepayer Forums.” And maybe we’ll see what the law enforcers think about this behavior before that.
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I am a ratepayer that is facing the same hardships as a lot of people in MS. I also have children and plan on living for another forty years. Mississippi will continue to grow. What happens when our usage exceeds our output? Do we then have to purchase energy from nonregulated companies? The PSC will have no say in those rates. I try to look at the big picture, and not be so focused on instant gratification. The Kemper County Plant is an investment for myself and my children.
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