Residents sound off about DTE, power outages at Commerce Township town hall
COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - At a town hall meeting in Commerce Township on Monday, more frustration continues to come in from concerned citizens who are fed up with ongoing power outages.
"I think the reimbursement of $35 sucks," a man who attended the meeting said.
One by one, each of them walked up to the podium, pointing out the pain they have suffered.
"This is our 18th outage in 15 years," one man pointed out while looking at his utility spreadsheet.
"I'm very concerned for the seniors who don't have anywhere to go," another woman explained.
Listening to their concerns was Sen. Jim Runestad, who held the meeting.
"You don't like what's been going on? I would definitely let the governor know," Runestad told those in attendance.
Runestead said the people in his district really want to speak to DTE Energy, Consumers Energy and the Michigan Public Utility Commission, all of whom Runestad says were invited but never showed up.
"We were turned down by all three," he said.
Instead, Runestad says DTE has promised it would follow up with each resident who attended the meeting and meet with residents "one-on-one to fix the problem."
But as many in the crowd explained, those problems are more than likely to prolong given the history that companies like DTE have had.
"They need to be held accountable for what we're experiencing. It's the worst in the nation and nothing ever gets done," said a resident, who was last to speak at the town hall.
Following the meeting, Runestad was asked about the governor-appointed Michigan Public Utility Commission and the lack of transparency brought forth by residents.
"If I was governor, I would get rid of all three of them today," Runestad said.
