Editor,
As a supporter of public power, I’m grateful to know that both candidates in the race for the 103rd Assembly District support some form of public ownership of Central Hudson.
Still, I don’t understand why anyone who supports public power would vote for Gabi Madden, whose stance falls way short of the transformation we need. In contrast, as Bernie Sanders would say, our current Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha “wrote the damn bill.”
Sarahana’s public utility will be democratically controlled and empowered to transition the grid to a green future. And it will lower our ridiculous utility bills by removing the profit motive and relying on tax-free bond financing. Meanwhile, Madden seems hesitant about the idea, citing utility talking points like the claim that property taxes would evaporate — they wouldn’t, as Shrestha clarified in a recent debate. Madden also mentions a “public option” but the expensive, intertwined energy system is not something you can build several versions of. We need unqualified support for public ownership of the infrastructure that keeps our lights on and heats our homes — not half-measures that will leave Central Hudson’s unsustainable mess unaddressed.
Getting Sarahana’s Hudson Valley Power Authority bill passed will of course require organizing a strong coalition. Sarahana has already started doing that: she introduced the bill with Senator Michelle Hinchey, secured the support of County Executive Jen Metzger, included a local Republican at the introductory press conference, and launched it with community groups. Her office also held seven well-attended town halls last year on the Central Hudson rate case, educating constituents about the power system — and how to make it work for us instead of far-flung CEOs. Plus, she led the successful effort to pass an unprecedented public power law last year, her first year in office.
I know who I trust to actually address the Central Hudson crisis; she’s already doing it.
Helena Wippick
Kingston, NY
