New Haven Independent

The City Hall meeting Wednesday was called by Frank Panzarella (pictured), a New Havener who helped organize a protest to decry the rate hike last month, though he bashfully admits, “I’m new at this stuff.” The meeting aimed to devise a strategy for how to effect change in the state legislature. Not only did the 40-plus attendees devise a strategy, they also set a date and invented a catchy name. On Wednesday, Jan. 31, a bus full of Fight the Hike (the organization formerly known as The Committee to Stop the UI Rate Increase) members will head to Hartford to rally and lobby for change. Their stated goals: a moratorium on the rate increase, the resignation of the state Department of Public Utilities Control members who allowed the hike, and the re-regulation and public ownership of utilities in Connecticut.

“You need to go to the government with a list of demands, both short and long term,” said Hill Alderman Jorge Perez (pictured). “They’re the ones who have the power to change the law, and they’re the ones who we elect.” Perez called on the community members to hold United Illuminated responsible for its actions, arguing that if shareholders cannot manage their own company, citizens should not have to pay for their mistakes. The utility rates in Connecticut have become the most expensive in the continental United States, lower only than those of Hawaii.

Local resident Mitzi Bowman (pictured) attributed the rate increase, which could serve as a crippling blow to low-income families and small businesses in the state, to deregulation, which was supposed to lower costs. “We’ve got to call for re-regulation and avoid short-term compromises,” Bowman said. “Then we can think about making New Haven and other parts of Connecticut clean.”

The first steps towards change were taken at the meeting, as the more fired-up the discussion grew, the more people were eager to get involved. Four committees were formed to get the ball rolling: publicity, outreach, planning, and petition. The group also set another meeting date for next week to track their progress and solidify the plans for Hartford. Panzarella encouraged community members to bring more people to the next meeting. “We need all the help we can get to make this happen,” he said. “The more the public knows about what we have to do, the more they’ll be inclined to put on the pressure themselves.”

For more information about how to get involved, contact Frank Panzarella at (203) 562-2798 or this e-mail address.