Neither the general employees nor the union employees of the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power support the initiative put forth by the Board of Light and Power Charter Change Coalition (BLPCCC).
The BLPCCC, a supposedly citizen-led group in Grand Haven, has circulated a petition and collected enough signatures to have an initiative placed on the November 2023 ballot in the City of Grand Haven. Shockingly, using their personal email addresses, three members of the Grand Haven City Council (Karen Lowe, Ryan Cummins, and Kevin McLaughlin) and one member of the Board of Light and Power (Andrea Hendrick) exchanged emails as early as August 2022 discussing changing the charter and dissolving the BLP.
If passed, the initiative will remove the authority of the Board of Light and Power and make the BLP an advisory committee to the Grand Haven City Council. This initiative would place the Grand Haven City Council in charge of setting electric utility rates and appointing members to the newly created advisory committee.
During the June 29, 2023, BLP meeting, representatives of both BLP union employees and general employees gave public comment opposing the proposal.
Sean Cook, a representative of the union gave the following statement.
“I am a 25 year+ employee of the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power, and I am here to talk on behalf of the union employees, but first, I want to talk to you as a Board of Light and Power customer in Grand Haven Township. I am concerned about the BLPCCC and the proposed amendment to the city charter. The Board of Light and Power services 14,846 customers and of those, only 50% reside in the City of Grand Haven. The other 50% come from Grand Haven Charter Township, Spring Lake Township, Robinson Township, and the City of Ferrysburg. I personally believe what the BLPCCC is trying to do, is taking away my rights as a citizen. I don’t believe we should take away the voter’s elected board and replace it with a city-appointed board when there are other municipalities involved that deserve the right to vote as well.
Now I’m going to read a statement by the union.
We the Local 582 UWUA, working as the union employees of the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power, stand here today, June 29, 2023, to officially put on record, we do not agree with what the BLPCCC has put on the November ballot for consideration. It is our belief this is a wrong move for the customers we serve in our communities. The BLP should stay the way it is with a publicly elected board that serves the City of Grand Haven, Grand Haven Township, Spring Lake Township, Robinson Township, and the City of Ferrysburg for 126+ years.”
Austin Gagnon, the Operations and Technical Services Engineer for the Board of Light and Power, said the following.
“For the last four years, I’ve had the privilege to work with the men and women who operate and maintain this utility. These individuals serve their community by ensuring that we have access to reliable and affordable power, and that it’s delivered with excellent customer service. These individuals know utilities. Each of our jobs is specialized towards the electric industry. We understand, based on this experience, that the governance structure of a utility is what allows it to achieve success. Which is why I’m very thankful that Mr. Miller was able to speak before me and talk about the proposed governance structure, because that’s why I’m here today.
Frankly, it’s very frustrating that for the last few weeks, we’ve been hearing that the employees of the utility are in favor of this proposed charter change. So, I am here tonight, representing the general employees of this utility, because that cannot be further from the truth. So, I would like to read my statement now, but before I do, please note the signatures. 100% of the general employees of this utility have signed this letter. Every single one of us.
In response to the proposed charter amendment to dissolve the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power, we the undersigned, firmly believe that placing control of the utility under the Grand Haven City Council and City Manager jeopardizes the utility’s award-winning reliability, low electric rates, and quality of service that our customers currently enjoy. In order to dispel any rumors to the contrary, we the undersigned general employees of the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power, fully support maintaining the current City Charter which provides for a voter elected technical governance body that is GHBLP’s Board of Directors. We stand in opposition to the proposed charter amendment which dissolves the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power.
So, everyone in the room and to anyone who may be listening, let there be no doubt, we are not in favor of changing the city charter.”
The voters of the City of Grand Haven will have the ultimate power to make this particular decision. These employees are counting on the voters to be informed.