To The Editor,

I would like to first thank Karen Ryan of LCEC's public relations department for taking the time to respond to my concerns regarding LCEC's rate hikes.

I did find her response letter very informative, educational, and extremely entertaining. I am in no way questioning LCECs’ employees determination to provide great customer service. I have had numerous issues where the employee was not the most friendly, but I have personally spoken and met with Bernard Davis, who is by far the most professional employee I have dealt with at LCEC. He will listen to your concern and nine times out of ten, you will walk away feeling that your concern has been addressed. LCEC should reward Mr. Davis for his level of commitment and professionalism.

The issue at hand is, are there expenses that LCEC could reduce that would eliminate passing the additional cost onto the members / owners of LCEC. Unfortunately, no where in LCEC's response did Mrs. Ryan addresses these issues.

Here are a few questions.

Can the CEO's salary be cut to help reduce expenses?

How many positions at LCEC have been eliminated to help reduce costs?

Although sponsoring events is good, why does LCEC continue sponsoring events when they are raising their rates on the members?

Did LCEC pay for a Christmas party this year for their employees?

Can LCEC cut back on the use of company vehicles? Perhaps have the employees use their personal vehicles and offer them a per mile compensation. This will reduce insurance and fuel costs.

Can LCEC cut all compensation to board members?

They meet once a month, I would love to work one day a month and get compensated for a month. If the board members are not compensated, they may feel more obligated toward the average joe who is struggling to pay their bills.

Why is LCEC so determined to cut members’ electric when their bill is late, knowing that most members are struggling to make ends meet, as well as the new rate increase.

One other interesting fact that I feel that all members should be aware of is that there is no outside governmental department that oversees LCEC's operations and practices. I have contacted the Public Utilities Commission and asked for their help. They said LCEC is a co-op and therefore LCEC does not come under the supervision of the utilities commission.

I have contacted the Governor's office seeking assistance. They also said that we are at the mercy of the board of trustees of LCEC. I was told by the Governor's office to call LCEC and request contact with the board president. I did make that request, but was denied and transferred to the CEO's secretary. I did contact Mrs. Ryan on December 23, at around 10:30 a.m. to thank her for taking the time to respond to my letter.

I have had numerous phone calls, e-mails, and mail with LCEC since the first of the year. They also have sent me mail, and phone calls. I would say there have been about 60 calls between LCEC and me over the past year.

Many of my neighbors have expressed their anger to me about LCEC. Unfortunately, they feel that LCEC is a monopoly and they just have to sit back and accept it. Stand up and fight for what you feel is fair. This is much like the Bible story of David and Goliath. David felt he could beat Goliath, and with his courage and faith he defeated the giant. If all members of LCEC stand up and fight for what’s fair, we also will defeat Goliath.

According to LCEC's own website, it states that FPL rates will be reduced this year for its customers. LCEC rates will increase because Seminole electric rates are going up. Well this is simple, lets dissolve the co-op and join with FPL electric.

I would like to offer a solution to some of my issues. I propose that we create an independent commission of 20 people. These 20 people will not be compensated in any way. This will be strictly volunteer positions. Once the LCEC board votes on an issue, the issue will then be sent to the independent commission for review. The board will have to prove to the commission why the vote is necessary and justify the result of the vote. The commission will then vote on the issue at hand. If the issue passes the commission then the voted item will become valid. If the commission denies the vote it will be sent back to the LCEC board for review and changes.

Jason Barrett

Lehigh Acres

LCEC is writing off more than $2 million in bad debts for 2008. A story about how LCEC is feeling the economic pinch is on page 1 today. – Ed