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What I heard at the town hall, and the October 24 deadline

Writer: Donna Dye Sholk
Donna Dye Sholk
Oct 11
5 min read

What I heard at the town hall


On September 29 I joined Stand Up Lockport at the Kenan Center for a forum on the NYSEG rate case. It was nonpartisan, and when the host asked everyone who had seen a bill over $1,000 this year to stand up, a lot of people stood. The Union-Sun & Journal covered it if you want the short version: https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/local_news/tips-on-checking-utility-bills-shared-at-stand-up-lockport-forum/article_4b43cdcf-4218-415f-a4e6-34e38b859e4e.html


Here is the short version of what's on the table. NYSEG has asked the Public Service Commission for a 35% increase, almost all of it on the delivery side of your bill. For an average household that's about $33 more a month, on top of a 3.5% temporary increase that's already in effect. The PSC's own staff have pushed back hard, and their counter-proposal is closer to $5. There's a separate gas rate case pending too.


Luke Udell, a local data analyst, pulled NYSEG's federal filings and found something worth knowing. The amount of electricity NYSEG delivers to our area is flat since 2012. Inflation over that time was about 40%. The pile of poles, wires, and trucks NYSEG is allowed to earn a profit on grew 265%. That's where your bill went.


I spent my career auditing utility bills at Olin, so my part of the evening was practical: how a rate case actually works, and how to check your own bill. A few things everyone should do this month:


  • Get paper bills. NYSEG only keeps 13 months online, and online bills change.

  • Check your service classification. It should say Residential. New homes stay Commercial under the builder until you call.

  • Match your meter number on the bill to the meter on your house.

  • Look for E's. Estimated reads, several months in a row, mean call them.

  • Check whether it's electric or gas that moved before you blame anyone, including NYSEG.


Two things you can do that actually matter. The case is still open; the PSC set temporary rates in May and the final decision is still coming.



One more thing I said on the record, and I'll say it here. The Niagara Power Project generates more power than NYPA allocates. The rest gets sold on the open market and the money goes to Albany, while the county next to the plant pays some of the highest rates in the state. That unallocated power should come back to the people of Niagara and Erie counties. It's on my Priorities page and I mean it.


Out and about


First, thank you. To the League of Women Voters for hosting Meet the Candidates on the canal. To my Kitchen Cabinet for walking the Optimists Car Show with me. To Judy and Larry Volland, Sue Simon, Paul and Mollie Rolland, Terri Strassel, and Barb Buczkowski for Locktoberfest. And to my cousin Lori Johnson and her husband Joe Dunbar for opening their home in Clarence. None of this happens alone.


Meet the Candidates on the Canal. A good afternoon of real conversations, and an ice cream break with Anne Joynt, which I recommend as a campaign strategy.


Lockport Optimists Car Show. If you've seen a small crowd in campaign shirts at one of these, that's my Kitchen Cabinet. The cars were worth the trip on their own.


Locktoberfest. A beautiful fall day, a lot of doors and handshakes, and I'm told the sign-holding was very professional.


And yes, we did a Halloween video. It's on the Facebook page if you need a laugh: facebook.com/VoteDonnaDyeSholk


In the paper. Jim Shultz, author of Lessons from Lockport, wrote a column in the Union-Sun & Journal on September 17 about the NYSEG rate case and this race. His words, not mine, but I'll take them: "What she has done is spend a career actually working on energy issues in New York." The full column is on the Facebook page: facebook.com/VoteDonnaDyeSholk


Not registered yet? You have until October 24


That's 13 days from today. The county Board of Elections has to receive your registration by Saturday, October 24. A postmark on the 24th is not enough.


  • Check first! voterlookup.elections.ny.gov tells you whether you're on the rolls and where you vote.

  • Moved, or changed your name since you last voted? You need to register again at the new address or name.

  • Register online at elections.ny.gov/register-vote, or pick up a paper form at the library, the post office, or the county board.

  • Forward this to one person who isn't registered. That's the whole job.


Make your plan to vote


Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, and the dates before it matter just as much. Here is the short version.


  •  Register by Saturday, October 24. See above.

  • Vote early, October 24 to November 1. Any registered voter can vote early in person, no reason needed, and the lines are short. Your early voting site may not be your usual polling place. Look it up at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov.

  • Vote by mail. Request a ballot by October 24 online or by post, or in person at the county board by November 2. Mail it back postmarked by November 3, or drop it off.

  • Election Day, November 3. Polls are open 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM. If you're in line when they close, stay in line.


Everything above, with links, is on the Vote page of the website: votedonnadyesholk.com/vote


The ask: come knock doors with me


Here is the honest version. We are three weeks out, and the thing that moves votes in a race like this is a neighbor at the door. Not a mailer, not an ad. A person. I'm out there every week, and I need more people walking with me.


You do not need experience. You get a walk list, a partner, and a short script, and most conversations are two minutes on a porch. If you've never done it, come once and see.


  • Tuesday evenings in Lockport, 5:30 to 9:00

  • Saturday and Sunday mornings in Lockport, North Tonawanda, and Niagara Falls


Meeting points and any changes are on the Get Involved page: https://www.votedonnadyesholk.com/get-involved . Pick a shift that fits and email volunteer@votedonnadyesholk.com, or just show up.


If every person reading this brought one friend to one shift, we would cover the district before Election Day. That's the whole plan.


Thank you,


Donna

 
 
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