Rep. Jefferson responds to Kevin Haas article in ‘Register Star’
I am writing to respond to an article that was published by the Rockford Register Star Oct. 3. When Kevin Haas called Oct. 2, I was doing my civic duty as a citizen as part of a Winnebago County juror selection pool. I received a call from a reporter that I was unable to respond to because they are very strict as it relates to cell phones. The reporter felt his story was so newsworthy that he did not need to give me an opportunity to respond to his allegations or simply out of respect that I have been a legislator for 12 years. The story that he wrote was not a story at all, it was a witch hunt to vilify my name. Great responsibility and journalistic integrity must come with the power of the pen.
In the General Assembly, it takes a majority of the legislators to pass any legislation. This is true of both chambers — the House and Senate. The smart grid legislation was passed by the majority of both houses, thus making it law. I know that the smart grid legislation is going to take us further into the 21st century and enable ComEd to deal with devastating storms that happen to impact our area in a much more effective manner. Some storms have crippled our area for days before they can identify the problem. The new smart grid will identify the problem immediately so the issue can be resolved expediently. I support the fact that ComEd is building a $3 million facility to train people to install smart grid meters into the homes of ComEd customers.
I am grateful for my relationship with ComEd and Paul Callighan, who represents ComEd in Winnebago County. We work well together in meeting the needs of the consumers. I want to thank ComEd for responding to all the needs of the people in Winnebago County.
As for who I work for, I am very clear who I work for; I work for the people of Winnebago County and especially Illinois’ 67th district.
Thank you for allowing me to respond.
Chuck Jefferson
Assistant Majority Leader
Illinois State Representative, 67th District
From the Oct. 10-16, 2012, issue
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5 Comments
…but I’m so lazy that I can’t write my own editorial pieces or even have my staff do it…I’ll pander to ComEd, let them do it for me. Rep. Jefferson, if you aren’t up to the job….RETIRE!
Come on, Chuck! You vote the way Mike Madigan tells you to…no ifs, ands, or buts.
Like Tina, I have to wonder who wrote this response for you.
I won’t speak to Kevin Haas’s original article, but I will speak to Chuck’s reply above. I haven’t spoken with Chuck since this spring, but knowing Chuck as I do and having been a former copywriter and editor, the letter above appears to have been written by Chuck. The choice of words, the phrasing, is all Chuck.
That said, I’m leery of the “smart grid” and what it will cost taxpayers. My concerns and cautious optimism are very similar to those of the Citizens Utility Board (CUB). You can find CUB’s position on the smart grid legislation here: http://www.citizensutilityboard.org/legislation_SmartGrid.html
Paul Gorski, you must have been sleeping. There are emails back and forth about this…he didn’t write it. You can pretend as a “former copywriter and editor” anything you want, but the truth is that he was caught shilling for ComEd. And if you don’t think so, provide a single fact beyond your knowledge of his writing style to refute that.
I tried to post a comment earlier, but evidently the censors believe anything critical of Mr. Gorski shouldn’t be included. I asked for proof that Mr. Jefferson wrote this…like notes or the original on his computer. Of course he can produce none, while there are emails clearly demonstrating that ComEd wrote it. I wonder whether they will allow this to appear, or will the censors again appear?