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This was the scene at tonight’s forum at Norwalk City Hall on Connecticut Light & Power’s handling of the October 29 nor’easter and August’s Tropical Storm Irene.

Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, who organized the event admitted he was surprised at the turnout given the outrage earlier this month over the widespread and lengthy power outages.

It did provide the opportunity for a few clearly very frustrated folks to vent, including one city resident who said he was without power for seven days. But Duff expected more people to attend given the interest expressed on his Facebook page.

Maybe now that all the juice has been returned people are focused on the holiday season and would rather spend a free evening celebrating, shopping or relaxing, rather than berating utility executives.

Or maybe a management shakeup within CL&P, lower electric rates and an increase in the fund the company created to compensate customers for damages during the nor’easter have caused folks to blow out the torches and hang the pitch forks back in their sheds.

Whatever the reason for the poor attendance, it turned out to be a great evening for William Quinlan, CL&P’s new vice president of emergency preparedness, to make his first official public appearance. Quinlan was promoted to the newly created position last week as part of that aforementioned management shakeup.

While making it crystal clear the utility needs to improve its performance during future storms, Quinlan also defended his bosses. He disputed allegations the utility had trouble hiring out-of-state linemen to help because of unpaid bills from Irene. He stood by the company’s current roster of around 200 in-house crews for day-to-day operations. He reiterated CL&P’s position that it was better prepared for Irene because that storm was more predictable than the nor’easter. He said the utility had been warning customers the areas of the state most impacted by the snow could be without electricity for seven to ten days. And he said in fact if you look at industry standards, CL&P did a pretty good job with the restoration.

Here’s our report.

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This is a bit insider baseball, but it’s worth noting in case anyone’s interested…

Today our Hearst newspapers published a story about problems public and private employees are having with their paychecks because of lawmakers’ decision in the spring to pass a retroactive income tax hike. For reasons described in our report, folks with sudden pay increases are seeing equally sudden and inaccurate spikes in the amount of taxes being withheld.

Fingers are being pointed at the General Assembly for making the tax too complicated, the Department of Revenue Services for issuing bad instructions to payroll companies, the payroll companies for not being prepared to deal with all of the nuances of the retroactive tax, and the actual payroll software for being unable to implement the tax without causing glitches.

Around 1,100 state goverment workers who earned overtime cleaning up after the October 29 snow storm were impacted. A decision has been made to cut them all reimbursement checks rather than ask them to adjust their withholdings going forward or wait until next year for tax refunds.

I learned about the problem in part from a post on the Connecticut Employees Union Independent website entitled “Paycheck Errors.”

It was pointed out to me today that CEUI has since removed the information from their site, replacing it with a message for members to look for updates in their email.

Here’s what had appeared on the site before our story was published…

That’s been replaced with this message…

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It will be December 1 before the first of several reports about Connecticut Light & Power’s handling of the power outages caused by the October 29 nor’easter is complete. Even CL&P’s own internal review won’t be ready until early January.

That means it is also too soon to conclude CL&P President and Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Butler, who resigned yesterday in the face of intense public pressure, should at this point bear any blame for anything except appearing unlikeable and confusing at press conferences.

We don’t need any studies to know Butler’s post-storm news conferences - like the one captured in this Hartford Courant photo - were widely panned.

Rather than being viewed as a strong, sympathetic executive, Butler to many came across as a blend of the uncomfortable “this is the first televised presidential debate in history” Richard Nixon…

… and rich, evil, out-of-touch nuclear plant owner Mr. Burns from “The Simpsons” …

Northeast Utilities, CL&P’s parent, Thursday said the company will launch a national search for Butler’s replacement. A spokesman, Al Lara, told me the process is likely to take several months

“The search process is something that’s different with every search and every company,” Lara said. “It is coordinated by the board of trustees. Typically they may contract with an executive search firm that indentifies a pool of candidates that have both experience and meet other requirements and are hopefully diverse as well.”

Hmmm. Meet other requirements, eh? Like not making angry customers angrier?

Perhaps NU execs should instead launch a casting call. Butler spent around 3 decades in the industry and none of that behind-the-scenes experience mattered when those cameras got rolling here in Connecticut a few weeks ago and Gov. Dannel Malloy decided to end their joint appearances because he no longer wanted to be in the same room with the guy.

So here, for the benefit of NU, I present some familiar personalities who, if not actually available for the job of running a major utility or familiar with anything electrical other than a socket, have those camera-ready “can’t promise when the lights are coming back on but somehow you just can’t get angry at them” qualities CL&P clearly needs in its next COO…

Beloved film/television star Betty White…

Beloved (and, like Butler, newly retired) television star Regis Philbin…

A woman who needs no description…

People Magazine’s sexiest man…

And People’s most beautiful person…

The original Mr. “I feel your pain”…

State weatherman/television personality Scot Haney…

Boo, the most popular dog on Facebook…

One of the hottest toys of the 2011 holiday season…

And, speaking of the season, a man who’s dealt with his share of horrible weather and remains admired around the world…

Good luck with the search, NU.

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In just over two months the White House has twice declared Connecticut a disaster area, paving the way for state and local governments to obtain federal reimbursement for damages that occurred during severe weather.

First there was Tropical Storm Irene in late August.

Tonight the White House issued a declaration in response to the freak October 29 nor’easter.

Jim Finley, executive director of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, praised the news, particularly because Monday a major credit rating agency warned cleanup costs could eat into local budgets and result in possible downgrades.

“It will allow the majority of storm-related expenses at the local level to be reimbursed by the federal government and should ease the pressure on local budgets and cut the risk of any fallout from the bond rating agencies,” Finley said.

I asked him how his members have been doing obtaining federal aid for Irene.

“A number of officials still are having trouble navigating the Federal Emergency Management Agency and reimbursement procedures,” Finley said. “CCM is going to be putting together a conference call with state and federal officials the week after Thanksgiving to allow municipal officials from across Connecticut to ask questions and be able to learn how to expedite reimbursement and convey the benefits disaster declarations have for their residents and businesses.”

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According to one electric worker union official in California, just-resigned Connecticut Light & Power head Jeff Butler had a good relationship with workers on the West Coast.

“Jeff Butler was an operations-oriented executive, as contrasted with executives with a regulatory or financial focus. He is an engineer, grew up in a Pacific Gas & Electric (where Butler was employed prior to CL&P) family, and placed customers first, employees second,” Tom Dalzell, an official with California’s International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, wrote me earlier this week via email. “He had a strong relationship with the union, and strong relationships survive occasional fights. We had occasional fights and because of the underlying relationship emerged at the other end of the fights as strong as ever.”

Contrast Dalzell’s views with Frank Cirillo’s. Cirillo, an IBEW leader here in Connecticut, had plenty of positive things to say about Butler – his departure, that is.

Cirillo just told me CL&P employees are going nuts over today’s news Butler resigned amidst the criticism of the company’s handling of the October 29 snow storm and August’s Tropical Storm Irene.

“The texts, phone calls, the cheers of ‘yippee’ are just out there,” Cirillo said.

The union last year held a vote of no confidence in CL&P management.

“Let him go back to California. I wish him no ill will but I’m glad to see him leave the great state of Connecticut,” Cirillo told me.

I broke the news to Dalzell who had this to say:

“I am sorry to hear of Jeff’s resignation. He is hard-working and passionate about customer service and employee safety. I don’t want to second-guess the people of Connecticut, but they are losing a good man.”

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While Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy visits troops in Kuwait and Afghanistan through a Department of Defense outreach program, Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman is keeping her commitments and representing the administration at events back home.

I feel bad for Nancy, having to release a schedule of – no offense to the hosts – important but pretty mundane appearances when compared with her boss’ headline-grabbing jaunt to a war zone.

Then again, I’m sure there are many people who would, faced with the choice of visiting a war zone or meeting with town clerks, swearing in new prison wardens and attending a ceremony honoring the state’s teacher of the year, be perfectly happy with the latter activities.

Here’s Wyman’s full schedule for the coming days:

MEDIA ADVISORY:  Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman Media Events for Nov. 16-20

Contact: Steve Jensen/Director of Communications/Office of the Lt. Governor

                (860) 524-7377/ (860) 539-9298/ Steve.Jensen@ct.gov

Wednesday Nov. 16

• New England Regional Town Clerks Conference

1 p.m./Hilton Hotel, 20 Coogan Blvd., Mystic

             Lt. Gov. to give opening remarks

Thursday Nov. 17

• CT Health Insurance Exchange Meeting

             9 a.m. /LOB Room 1A

• CT State Police Awards Ceremony

             1:30 p.m. / Training Academy Auditorium, Meriden

             Lt. Gov. to give opening remarks

• CT Teacher of the Year 2012 Awards Ceremony

             5 p.m. / The Bushnell, Hartford

             Lt. Gov. to give opening remarks

Friday Nov. 18

• CT Bar Association Judicial Independence Symposium

             9 a.m. / Quinnipiac Univ. School of Law, Hamden

             Lt. Gov. to give remarks

• Dept. of Correction Swearing-In Ceremony for New Wardens and Directors

             10 a.m. / Capitol Old Judiciary Room

             Lt. Gov. to give remarks

• CT Citizen Action Group 40^th Anniv. Celebration

             6:30 p.m. / Sheraton Hotel, 275 Research Parkway, Meriden

Sunday Nov. 20

• Hartford Club’s Homeless Women and Children Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner

             1 p.m. / Hartford Club, 46 Prospect Street Hartford

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MEDIA ADVISORY

EVENT:                  PRESS CONFERENCE: Connecticut Entrepreneurs Announce Major Federal Lawsuit To Fight Back Against State Dental Commission’s Attempt to Shut Down Teeth-Whitening Businesses. 

TIME/DATE:            10:00 a.m./Thursday, November 16, 2011

PLACE:                     Front Steps

          U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut

          Abraham Ribicoff Federal Building

450 Main Street

Hartford, CT 06103

PARTICIPANTS:      Dana Berliner, Senior Attorney, Institute for Justice

                                    Paul Sherman, Staff Attorney, Institute for Justice

                                    Lisa Martinez, Teeth-whitening entrepreneur

                                    Steve Barraco, Co-owner, Smile Bright

                                  Tasos Kariofyllis, Co-owner, Smile Bright

CONTACT:               Shira Rawlinson, Communications Coordinator, Institute for Justice (703) 682-9320

SUMMARY:  What is the difference between whitening your teeth at home with a product you buy online and whitening your teeth at a shopping mall or salon with an identical product bought there?  In Connecticut, the person who sold you the product at the mall or salon can be charged with a felony and sentenced to up to five years in prison or $25,000 in civil fines. 

Watch a short video on the case: www.ij.org/CtTeethVideo

On Wednesday, November 16, 2011, at 10:00 a.m., the nation’s leading legal advocate for entrepreneurs, Institute for Justice, and a group of teeth-whitening entrepreneurs will hold a press conference to announce that they have just filed a major constitutional challenge to Connecticut’s outrageous requirement that only licensed dentists can offer teeth-whitening services, even if customers apply the product to their own teeth. 

            Teeth-whitening services are popular and increasingly available at spas, salons and shopping malls.  This has been a boon for consumers because these businesses offer whitening services at much lower prices than dentists do, often charging less than 25 percent of what a dentist would charge for similar results.   But the State Dental Commission has ruled that only licensed dentists may offer teeth-whitening services.  This ruling has nothing to do with public health or safety and everything to do with protecting licensed dentists from honest competition. 

The U.S. Constitution protects the right to earn an honest living free from unreasonable regulations designed solely to benefit special interests.   This case raises a constitutional question of vital importance:  May the government prohibit entrepreneurs from selling safe, over-the-counter products that people use at home every day just to protect a group of industry insiders?

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The narrative over the past week is that Connecticut Light & Power really blew it in Connecticut and our state was severely short changed when it came to turning back on the lights knocked out by the October 29th snow storm.

But the folks in neighboring Massachusetts, with whom we’ve been compared, don’t quite see it that way. Just like here in Connecticut, elected officials are launching probes of the storm response by CL&P’s parent, Northeast Utilities, which owns Western Mass Electric…

————-

Department of Public Utilities Issues Order to Investigate Utilities’ Preparation for and Response to October Snowstorm

BOSTON – Tuesday, November 8, 2011 – After the third major power outage in less than a year affecting hundreds of thousands of customers, the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) today formally opened an investigation of storm preparation and power restoration efforts by three of the state’s investor-owned electric utilities following the October 29 snowstorm.  

As part of the investigation, DPU will examine how three of the state’s investor-owned electric distribution companies – National Grid, NSTAR, and Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECo) – responded to the October 29 storm, focusing on the companies’ efforts to prepare before the storm, restoration of electric power, and their communications with affected communities. DPU will also review whether the companies complied with DPU regulations and fully implemented their Emergency Response Plans, which were last filed in May 2011.

Based on its findings, DPU’s actions could include levying financial penalties and requiring the companies to change their storm policies and procedures going forward. In September 2011, DPU penalized National Grid $1.2 million for its response to a December 2010 snowstorm.

“We will conduct an intensive top-to-bottom review of the response to power outages of this most recent storm to determine whether the companies’ performance was adequate and complied with DPU requirements,” said DPU Chair Ann Berwick.

“This Administration is extremely frustrated by the multiple-day outages communities experienced after these recent storms,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr. ”These are essential utility services that communities can’t do without for extended periods of time.” 

This investigation follows DPU’s ongoing inquiry into National Grid and NSTAR’s handling of power outages related to Tropical Storm Irene and a recent investigation into National Grid’s response to a December 2010 snowstorm. As part of the ongoing Tropical Storm Irene investigation, DPU is conducting hearings to gather public comments on storm preparation and power restoration efforts by National Grid and NSTAR. Due to the extent of the concern expressed by communities and local emergency management officials, DPU will also use its remaining five public meetings to gather public input relating the October snowstorm.

As part of this new investigation, DPU will also schedule public meetings in the hard-hit areas affected by the October snowstorm. Those hearings will be held before the December holidays and the dates and locations will be announced soon. Additionally, DPU requires all four of the utilities (National Grid, NSTAR, WMECo and Unitil) to submit a 30-day post-storm report.   

According to the order, DPU’s investigation will focus on compliance with DPU performance standards for emergency preparedness and restoration of service, including: (1) preparation for and management of the restoration efforts with respect to Tropical Storm Irene; (2) allocation of company resources in the affected communities; (3) communications with state, local municipal and public safety officials, and with the department; (4) dissemination of timely information to the public; and (5) identification of company practices requiring improvement. 

For more information on DPU’s authority under the General Laws, visit

http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2009/Chapter133.