Lakewood Mayor, Cleveland Councilmen Receive Response from PUCO

Public Officials are demanding scrutiny and action by utilities commission regarding FirstEnergy Corp’s chronic and inexcusable power outages

LAKEWOOD, OH – Lakewood Mayor Meghan F. George and Cleveland City Councilmen Brian Kazy (Ward 16) and Charles Slife (Ward 17) received a response to their joint letter demanding that the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) launch an investigation and take action regarding chronic, severe, and extended power outages by FirstEnergy Corp. In her written response (right), PUCO Chair Jennifer French affirmed that PUCO had launched an official investigation in response to the joint letter. “We share and appreciate the concerns outlined in your letter [and] I take the concerns in your letter very seriously,” stated Chair French. “I can assure you that the PUCO is engaged in this important matter and we will follow up.”

Mayor George voiced appreciation to Chair French and PUCO. “I was encouraged by Chair French’s quick response and the clear commitment from PUCO to investigate, report out, and follow up on the situation,” she said. “While PUCO performs its investigation, the City of Lakewood will continue pressuring FirstEnergy to take action to address these problems in the near term, as this matter is urgent and demands immediate action. While PUCO holds ultimate authority, the City will continue using our bully pulpit to hold FirstEnergy accountable and then report out to our constituents on the outcomes.”

As an immediate next step, tomorrow Mayor George and her administration will host a meeting with FirstEnergy decision makers where she will join with other local officials to demand clear commitments on how FirstEnergy will take both short-term and long-term actions to ensure reliable service to the communities of Lakewood and Cleveland. Mayor George continues to encourage local FirstEnergy customers to file individual complaints to ensure that the scope of the outages is documented. She expressed her appreciation to those that have already filed complaints.