Ken Dixon's Blog-O-Rama

Connecticut politics is a contact sport

Archive for August, 2011

Malloy: “profit-driven attrition” may be slowing utility response to statewide outages

Monday, August 29, 2011 by:Ken Dixon
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Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, speaking during an early evening news conference Monday, said he believes that profit-driven attrition has no doubt thinned the ranks of line workers at CL&P and United Illuminating.

Asked if he was concerned about such tactics now affecting the speed at which Connecticut recovers from the storm, Malloy answered in the affirmative.

“I suspect that the industry has changed to such an extent that that may be the case,” Malloy said. “I expect it is the case. I also know that we pay very high rates for electricity, particularly on the generating side.”

Malloy said he was proud to have eviscerated the old Department of Utility Control and rolled its duties into a new state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

John J. Prete, senior vice president of UI, said he thought that the utility’s line crews are down about 10 percent, compared to the number of crews that tackled the outages after Hurricane Gloria in 1985. “Our internal line is not far off from where we were, within percents, 10 percent,” Prete said.

He said that crews from Kansas City and Indiana are on the job servicing outages in the UI area, which is centered in Bridgeport and New Haven. “We’re just grabbing as we can the crews that we need to do the work and we need more,” Prete said.

Jeffrey D. Butler, president and chief operating officer of CL&P, agreed that his company’s crews have also decreased since 1985. “I’ve been in the industry since ’79, absolutely I believe it’s probably lower,” he said. “I can speak for the behalf of the entire industry, there’s probably fewer line workers within the utilities today than there were in 1985.”

Butler said that there are 800 crews working 16 hours on and 8 hours off. About 200,000 CL&P customers had power restored by early Monday evening, but 570,000 remained without service.

Prete said that 155,000 customers, about half of UI’s more than 300,000 service area, experienced service outages. By midnight Monday, he expected 85,000 customers to still be without power.

Gov. Malloy announces business assistance in the wake of the flood

Monday, August 29, 2011 by:Ken Dixon
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Here’s the release from the governor:

“Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) Commissioner Catherine Smith today announced a comprehensive business assistance program to help companies negatively impacted by Hurricane Irene.

“This storm had a tremendous impact on residents and businesses alike.  As we move forward in our recovery efforts, I want to ensure that businesses that were affected get the financial and technical help they need in a timely fashion,” said Governor Malloy. “Providing this type of assistance will ensure that Connecticut companies get back to business, which in turn will help the state’s economy stay on track in the wake of this devastating storm.”

Businesses sustaining damage will be eligible for assistance, including bridge financing and loans covering uninsured losses, through DECD.  Highlights include:

·         Loans of up to $500,000 to companies for storm-related damage, including property, machinery and equipment, and working capital;

·         Loan guarantees of up to $500,000 will be provided to banks and other lenders to spur local lending to businesses impacted by the storm;

·         Grants will be available to businesses for immediate training needs, both for those employees displaced by business closure or those being trained to assist in disaster recovery.

·         Technical assistance, linking businesses to a wide array of state and federal resources.

A team of DECD workers has been assembled to work with companies at business resource centers around the state.  They can assist and indentify financial and technical resources, as well as serve as business advocates with utility assistance, insurance companies, and federal agencies.

A list of the centers is on the DECD Web site. Information for all services can be accessed through www.DECD.org or by calling 860-270-8215″

Gov Malloy worried that with 15-to-20 percent of state supermarkets without power, city residents might be shut out

Monday, August 29, 2011 by:Ken Dixon
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The governor just told reporters that 15 to 20 percent of state supermarkets are without power. “I have directed the folks that I work with to assess the impact in urban areas in particular and if we find a disproportionate number of urban residents area being affected – in many cases those residents are less mobile – then we will make restoring service to those supermarkets a priority and we will make distribution of generators to those supermarkets a priority as well.”

Goodnite Irene: Malloy in emergency nerve center declares emergency, tells state to prepare for the worse

Thursday, August 25, 2011 by:Ken Dixon
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Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in advance of Hurricane Irene’s expected landfall in Connecticut Sunday, has declared an emergency, giving him additional powers, including ordering evacuations from low-lying areas and shutting down highways.

“I think if I lived in a low-lying area that has ever been evacuated before, I would currently assume you would receive an order of evacuation,” he just told reporters and a television audience in the state armory. “I think that’s the easiest preparatory standard to apply. This is a massive storm, moving slowly, with a lot of wind. the moving slowly portion is particularly important because it’s a very wet storm. I think all of the predictions we’re seeing would call for 10 inches of rain in affected areas and six inches of that, seven inches of that, might fall in a very short period of time, as few as six hours as much as 18 hours. That means flooding.”

Governor Malloy launches hurricane website

Thursday, August 25, 2011 by:Ken Dixon
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Here’s the release from the governor’s office;

“Governor Dannel P. Malloy today launched a website dedicated to keeping state residents up-to-date on Hurricane Irene, its potential track, and the work the state is doing to keep residents safe. All pertinent information will be posted online and can be accessed at ct.gov/irene. In addition, state agencies have a link to the information on the front page of their websites.

Governor Malloy also used the opportunity to encourage people to sign up for CT Alert, the state’s emergency notification system. This alert system is ongoing (not just for this impending storm), and residents can sign up for email or text message alerts in the event of a life-threatening emergency. To sign up for CT Alert, residents should visit ct.gov/ctalert/site/default.asp.

“The time to prepare is now,” Malloy said. “If the storm hits us, it’s too late to get the materials, food and water you might need, particularly if the state experiences wide-spread loss of power. I’m committed to keeping residents up-to-date about our state’s preparations, and in the case of an evacuation or other event, we’ll make sure people know where to go, and when. More information is better than less in these types of situations, and I’m encouraging all Connecticut residents to take a moment to consider their situation, and what they need to do to prepare.”

Auditors: Dpt of Public Utility Control supervisors let employee falsify work records to the tune of nearly $25K

Monday, August 22, 2011 by:Ken Dixon
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The Auditors of Public Accounts just issued a study of the DPUC and Office of Consumer Counsel. Here’s the tastiest piece of the report:

Alleged Theft of Time and Falsification of Timesheets:

Background: During the prior audited period, we investigated a complaint revealing that a DPUC employee was coming in for work late and leaving early, resulting in $24,792 of wages paid to the employee for hours not worked.
DPUC management conducted their own internal investigation concerning the complaint and concurred with our finding, resulting in termination of the employee on September 28, 2009. The employee challenged or appealed the dismissal through the grievance process and was reinstated on October 13, 2010.

Criteria: Sound business practices and proper internal control provide assurances that employees are properly supervised and are only compensated for hours worked.

Timesheets signed by an employee and supervisor provide for evidence of hours worked.

Condition: Based on our prior audit review of various sources of information, along with the employee’s attendance and leave records from January 7, 2008 to February 24, 2009, it was determined that the employee was paid $24,792 while being absent from work. The $24,792 was calculated based on 492 hours in lost time at the employee’s hourly rate of $50.39.
During this period, the employee’s leave records and timesheets showed that no leave time was charged during periods of absence in order to complete a full workday.

Effect: An employee was paid $24,792 for being absent from work, and a potential risk exists that the wages paid for non-work will not be reimbursed by the employee.
There is also a risk that situations such as this can create an environment where employees will abuse time and take advantage of management.
Cause: The immediate supervisor/manager failed to adequately supervise this employee and internal documents indicated that this employee had a light work load, explaining how he was able to complete assigned tasks while being present less than half the time.
Recommendation: The DPUC, in conjunction with the DAS, should seek recovery of wages paid to an employee who was absent for periods of time for which he was compensated.
Agency Response: (Response made by DPUC and DAS personnel)
“The Department agrees with this recommendation and notes that it has made significant efforts to recover the wages in question and will continue to pursue in the appropriate manner. The DAS SmART Unit, acting as the Department’s Human Resource function, immediately initiated steps necessary to collect the amount by properly notifying the employee of its intent per Article 53, Section 1 of the Engineer, Scientific & Technical bargaining union contract. The union filed a grievance and the agency was forced to halt recovery efforts pending its outcome. The grievance was heard on February 16, 2011 and as a result, upon recommendation of the Office of Labor Relations, the agency is seeking guidance from the Office of the Attorney General on how this matter should proceed.”

Hold the transparency! General Assembly and its Reapportionment Committee, doesn’t need the stinking imprimatur of the state Freedom of Information Act!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011 by:Ken Dixon
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The Blogster just received a courtesy call from a functionary in the non-partisan Office of Legislative Research that stoked his ambient disgust with the General Assembly. Yesterday’s blog item about the Reapportionment Committee ignoring the state Freedom of Information Act in failing to post an agenda 24 hours before this afternoon’s meeting did not take into consideration a little-know state statute.

 Conveniently, the General Assembly exempts itself from having to release agendas of meetings 24 hours in advance. Virtually every other public agency has to, though. Wow. Is that why the Legislature drove the state budget into a $3.5-billion deficit ditch in time to greet Gov. Dannel Malloy in January? The exemptions are nestled in Sec. 1-225(b) and Sec. 1-225(d).

 So instead of ignoring state regulations, the bipartisan Reapportionment Committee simply violated the spirit of “transparency” that so many pols wear around their shoulders like invisible American flags.

And at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, three-and-a-half hours before this less-than earth-shattering meeting of Democratic and Republican maneuvering over the future boundaries of General Assembly and congressional districts, the agenda is now posted.

Malloy on union voting: this time “they’ve taken an active role in beating back the untruths.”

Wednesday, August 17, 2011 by:Ken Dixon
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The Blogster and a couple other reporters just greeted Gov. Dannel Malloy on his way into the Capitol, asking him how the union voting is going this time. “Clearly from the coverage, they’re doing a better job,” Malloy said, describing that unlike May and June, when 4 of the 15 unions scuttled the $1.6-billion concession package, union leaders have been more pro-active. “They got out ahead of it,” Malloy said. “I think they were slow off the ball last time.”

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