ROCHESTER, NY – Metro Justice and members of the Rochester for Energy Democracy (RED) Campaign released the results of a candidate and representative survey Wednesday at 5:30pm at City Hall on the City Leading a study on replacing RG&E with a public utility. The group also called out a closed-door meeting on May 1 where RG&E is inviting business representatives from the Chamber of Commerce and all area political representatives, raising concerns that RG&E is trying to stop a study, as they did at the County in April 2024. 

“While City Council has made a positive first step, what we need most is the courage and political leadership it takes to make a transformative change - not just to make a political talking point,” said Clayton Lyons, RED committee member. “Many leaders in our community support a public utility study, which makes it all the more surprising that the core of our elected officials in power - Mayor Evans, Council President Melendez, Mitch Gruber, Bridget Monroe Michael Patterson, and Lashay Harris -  have declined to commit to commissioning a public utility feasibility study at the City level. Meanwhile, the “progressive block” of City Council - Lupien, Martin, Smith, and Lightfoot, along with all challengers in the primary except Luis Aponte and Shashi Sinha, responded “yes” to all questions.”  

“We’re in an RG&E Crisis - Last year, RG&E shut off power to over 13,000 local homes and businesses, and Rochester’s energy burden is third highest in the country. Rochester City Council voted in both 2023 and 2024 to reserve $500K for a public utility feasibility study. Yet they have failed to take the next step, commissioning a study. Why are a majority of City Reps using inaction at the County as an excuse for the City not to lead?” expressed Christina Christman, President, Federation of Social Workers.

A coalition of community, labor, faith and anti-poverty leaders is calling on City Council and the Mayor to allocate funds already reserved by City Council to commission a Phase 1 feasibility study to replace RG&E with a public utility. The Metro Justice survey focused on which representatives will commit to act at the City level, which will not, and who won’t answer the community’s questions. 

“We’d like to work in partnership with City Council on a feasibility study, but we also need to see action. The foreign corporation that owns RG&E is draining our community of resources while leaving us out in the cold. It’s time our local elected officials take the initiative and study a public alternative. Economical utilities help to enable a community to transition from a nightmare to a beloved community, and as Drum Majors for Justice, the United Christian Leadership Ministry is in pursuit of the beloved community,” said Bishop Dr. Dwight Fowler, President of United Christian Leadership Ministry.  

 “Ratepayers already pay for all of RG&E’s operating costs, plus now $122 million on top of that in profit. Recently, they’ve also gotten millions in taxpayer money - corporate welfare - on top of that, just to do their jobs, and they try to sell that as benefiting our community. When RG&E has a private meeting with all our electeds plus those business representatives responsible for funneling taxpayer money to corporations, we must ask - whose needs are centered in our community?” asked Lisle Coleman, community member affected by RG&E. 

“Rochester has suffered RG&E’s overbilling, shutoffs, and profiteering for too long. We need our leaders to explore an alternative that has worked for many other communities,” said Dr. Michi Wenderlich, Metro Justice Campaign and Policy Coordinator. “Recent feasibility studies in San Diego, Decorah, Pueblo, Long Island, and Winter Park all found that public utilities would result in significant cost savings from the beginning, even after factoring in the cost of purchasing the grid through our rates over 30 years. The City must lead if the County will not.”

BACKGROUND: 

In place of the coalition’s previous call, which was a fully comprehensive feasibility and implementation study, a Phase 1 study that examines the possibility of a public utility at both the City and County levels could be done by the City alone, with the $500,000 funds they’ve already reserved for this purpose. A Phase 1 Feasibility study that covers the City and the County would not be significantly more expensive than a study that looks at the City alone, but would give the City all the options moving forward.

Metro Justice's survey asked current candidates for public office to say if they have general support for a public utility feasibility study, if they support City Council commissioning a Phase 1 study of their own, and if they support a strong process and oversight for the study, including Metro Justice's draft and timeline for an RFP, including an advisory council. Representatives and Candidates who are in support of City Council commissioning a feasibility study that covers the City and County and that utilizes Metro Justice’s proposed RFP process received A grades; those who would not commit or did not answer received Failing grades. One respondent committed to action at the City level but did not commit to process questions of community oversight and received a passing grade. Candidates could answer yes, no, or no answer/not committed, and those who did not respond to the survey were given no answer/not committed. A full chart outlining answers and grades can be found here.  

The RED Campaign has advocated for replacing RG&E with a publicly-owned utility since 2022. Rochester City Council voted in both 2023 and 2024 to reserve $500K for a public utility feasibility study. Yet they have failed to take the next step and commission a study.

In the context of opposition from County Executive Adam Bello, the County voted down funding for a public utility study in April 2024, when 2 Democrats (Yudelson and Maffucci) sided with the Republican caucus to block it. Bob Duffy, the President & CEO of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, is paid over $240,000 a year to sit on RG&E’s parent company (Avangrid)’s board. The son of area Congressperson Joe Morelle is the Senior Vice President of the lobbying firm that lobbies for Avangrid. RG&E was bought out by Avangrid in 2008, which is owned by Iberdrola, the 2nd largest utility company in the world.  

The Candidate + Representative Questionnaire is being released by Metro Justice, which is a member-led organization committed to social and economic justice in the Rochester area. Since 2022, the Rochester for Energy Democracy (RED) Campaign of Metro Justice has been calling on local elected officials to commission an independent study to determine the feasibility of replacing RG&E with a publicly-owned utility in Rochester and Monroe County. Bonds for a new utility would be issued by the newly created utility as low-interest revenue bonds, not as general municipal bonds directly by the City (or County). 

The coalition calling for action by the City independent of the County includes Metro Justice, UAW 1097, 1199 SEIU, Federation of Social Workers, Spiritus Christi, RUNAP, Climate Solutions Accelerator, United Christian Leadership Ministry, RocACTS, Episcopal Diocese of Rochester, City-Wide Tenant Union, First Unitarian Church, Connected Communities, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, Generational Engagement Matters, Third Act Rochester, Poor People's Campaign - Rochester Chapter, Rochester Democratic Socialists of America (ROCDSA), Grants Pass Resistance, Rochester Committee to End Apartheid, Jewish Voice for Peace Rochester, Rochester Mutual Aid Network, Peacework CSA, Mary Magdalene Church, Parkside Neighborhood Association (Irondequoit), and several local businesses including Kris B. Kimmel Construction Drafting, inc. and Sakjak Enterprises, Inc. The RED Coalition additionally includes Workers United Rochester Regional Joint Board, First Universalist Church, Greece Baptist Sustainability Team, Rochester Rotary NW and SW Chapters, Rochester Black Nurses Association, Rochester Refugee Resettlement Services, City Roots Community Land Trust, VOCAL NY, National Lawyers Guild - Rochester NY Chapter, Southeast Area Coalition, Color Brighton Green, Color Pittsford Green, Color Irondequoit Green, Color Henrietta Green, Being Black in the Burbs, Sunrise Rochester, Irondequoit Neighborhood Roundtable, North of East Main Neighbors United (NEMNU), Energy Democracy Alliance, Run On Climate, Clean Air Coalition, Mad Hatter & Roc Cinema.