REBUILD
REBUILD THE PUBLIC'S TRUST GOING FORWARD. HELLO AGAIN, EVERYONE... I'M
CINDY WILLIAMS.
AND I'M LEE NELSON... IN FOR PAT
CALLAGHAN TONIGHT.4@
IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT CMP'S
REPUTATION HAS BEEN BATTERED4@
OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
IT STARTED IN THE FALL OF 20174@
WHEN A FEROCIOUS WIND STORM
KNOCKED POWER OUT TO
NEARLY HALF-A-MILLION
CUSTOMERS... THE MOST IN THE
COMPANY'S HISTORY.
THAT WAS FOLLOWED IN THE WINTER
BY SCORES OF CUSTOMERS
COMPLAINING ABOUT HIGH BILLS...
WHICH LAUNCHED AN INVESTIGATION
BY SCORES OF CUSTOMERS COMPLAINING ABOUT HIGH BILLS... WHICH LAUNCHED AN INVESTIGATION@
BY THE PUBLIC UTILITIES
COMMISSION... THE BOARD ALSO4@
WHICH LAUNCHED AN INVESTIGATION@ BY THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION... THE BOARD ALSO4@4@
LOOKED INTO HOW THE COMPANY
HANDLED THOSE COMPLAINTS.
THE P-U-C FOUND NOTHING
SYSTEMATICALLY WRONG WITH THE 4@
BILLING SYSTEM, BUT DID SAY
C-M-P WAS TOO QUICK TO PUT IT
ONLINE...
AND DID A POOR JOB HANDLING
THOSE CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS.4@
TODAY, CMP WENT BACK TO THE
FUTURE... BRINGING IN ITS OLD
LEADER
LEADER --
LEADER -- DAVID FLANAGAN -- TO RESTORE TRUST. HERE'S NEWSCENTER MAINE'S DON
CARRIGAN.
PORTLAND 00-06
DAVID FLANAGAN / CMP CHAIRMAN 4@
DON CA4@RRIGAN / NEWS CENTER MAE
REP. SETH BERRY/ D- BOWDOINHAM
WITH
WITH NO
WITH NO CEREMONY, NO INTRODUCTION, DAVID FLANAGAN WALKED OUT, SHOOK HANDS WITH NEW
CO-WORKERS, 4@
AND.TOOK CHARGE.
SOT FLANAGAN 07 00
I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS,
VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE MISSION
I'M
UNDERTAKING,
I'M UNDERTAKING, THAT MISSION , HE SAYS, IS4@
RESTORING PUBLIC TRUST AND4@
CONFIDENCE IN MAINE'S LARGEST
4@
4@ ELECTRIC COMPANY. FLANAGAN WOULD SEEM TO BE THE
GUY TO DO IT. HE WAS PRESIDENT
OF
CENTRAL MAINE POWER FROM 1994 TO
2000, HELPED REBUILD SUPPORT
FOR THE COMPANY THEN, AND LED
THE BUSINESS THROUGH THE
HUGE ICE STORM OF 1998.MAKING 4@
CMP ONE OF MAINE'S BEST LIKED
AND TRUS4@TED BUSINESSES.
SIX YEARS AGO HE STEPPED IN TO
LEAD THE UNIVERSITY OF4@
SOUTHERN MAINE OUT OF A
FINANCIAL CRISIS. HE IS AL4@SO A
LAWYER AND A4@
FRIEND OF GOVERNOR JANET MILLS.
FLANAGAN TAKES OVER CMP AT A
TIME WHEN IT HAS FALLEN TO THE
LOWEST CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF
ANY UTILITY IN THE4@
COUNTRY.
SOT FLANAGAN SOT 08 39
WE HAVE TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF
THE BILLING AND METERING ISSUES@
AND DEAL WITH THOSE
SA4@TISFACTORILY.
THAT, HE SAYS, IS ONLY ONE OF
MANY STEPS , AND WILL INCLUDE A
4@4@
4@4@ RENEWED FOCUS ON THE CUSTOMERS. SOT FLANAGAN 07 36
INCLUD4@ING COMMUNICATING WITH R
CUSTOMERS, LISTENING TO OUR
CUSTOMERS AND ESTABLISHING
POLICIES AND
PRIORITIES THAT WILL BE OF
BENEFIT TO OUR CUSTOMERS.
4@4@
4@4@ STANDER 31 08 DAVID FLANAGAN SAID SEVERAL
TIMES THE JOB AHEAD OF HIM WILL
STANDER 31 08 DAVID FLANAGAN SAID SEVERAL TIMES THE JOB AHEAD OF HIM WILL@
BE A TOUGH ONE. THERE'S A LOT OF
BAD
BAD PUBLIC FEELING ABOUT CENTRAL MAINE POWER, AFTER MORE THAN TWO YEARS OF TOUGH
TIMES.4@
ONE OF THE LEADING CRITICS OF
CMP IS REP. SETH BERRY.WHO
WANTS TO HAVE A PUBLIC TAKEOVER
OF THE UTILITY. HE SEEMED 4@
UNIMPRESSED WITH THE CHANGE.
SOT
SOT SETH
SOT SETH BERRY 0754 WE NEED LOW COST CAPITAL, AND LOCAL CONTROL AND WHO'S IN
CHARGE OF THE COMPANY IN MAINE
WHEN THE REAL DECISIONS ARE
COMING FROM OVEFSEAS IS
IRRELEVANT. 4@
BUT FOR CMP IT COULD BE A
TURNING POINT. COMPANY
PRESIDENT DOUG HERLING WILL STAY
IN THAT ROLE AND MANAGE THINGS
DAY TO DAY, BUT DAVID FLANAGAN,
AS EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF THE4@
BOARD, WILL BE IN CHARGE.
SOT FLANAGAN 11 45
I THINK THE APHORISM IS YOU CAN
LOSE TRUST OVERNIGHT BUT4@
YOU REGAIN IT OUNCE BY OUNCE
STEP BY STEP, AND I DON'T HAVE
ANY 4@
ILLUSIONS ABOUT ANYTHING HERE
BEING EASY. BUT I CAN TELL YOU I
AM4@
AM4@
FULLY
FULLY COMMITTED TO DOING IT 4@4@ FLANAGA SAYS HE IS ALREADY ON THE JOB. DON CARRIGAN, NEWS 4@
CENTER MAINE
CENTER MAINE
GOVERNOR
GOVERNOR JANET MILLS SAID SHE WELCOMES DAVID FLANAGAN'S APPOINTMENT, BUT ALSO SAID " HE
MUST HAVE FULL AUTHORITY TO ACT
AND MAKE DECISIONS THAT ARE IN
THE BEST INTERESTS OF
MAINE, NOT SPAIN OR ANY OTHER
FOREIGN ENTITY",
FOREIGN ENTITY",