You want watchdog journalism? Score one for columnist Leila Atassi and tens of thousands of CPP customers - cleveland.com

You’ve made clear to us that you want and expect us to be watchdogs of government in Northeast Ohio.

You’ve told us that by reading our watchdog work in large numbers. You’ve told us that in survey after survey. You regularly send me messages and emails calling on us to do more. You want us to hold elected officials to account, and it’s a responsibility we enthusiastically accept.

And every once in a while, we chalk up a big win for the community, as columnist Leila Atassi did last week. Her work has guaranteed that customers of Cleveland Public Power will get due process before their electricity is shut off, something that has been missing for decades.

I keep saying this, but when I ask you to support us with a subscription, I’m asking you to support people like Leila, who is as fierce a watchdog journalist as I’ve met. (You can subscribe here.) I pity the public official who gets in her crosshairs when she’s got hard questions to ask, and I speak as someone who has been the occasional focus of her ire. She’s smart, and she’s relentless.

In February, Leila discovered that Cleveland Public Power was violating city ordinances in several ways when it came to shutting off power on customers with unpaid bills. One, the utility is required to notify customers they have a right of appeal. And two, the utility is required to hold an appeal hearing, which could result in a reprieve or a payment plan.

It was doing neither.

When Leila called, CPP told her that it would, of course, hold a hearing if anyone requested one, but only one person had in decades. Leila considered the claim ridiculous. People would not request hearings if they did not know that they could. But Leila decided to put the CPP claim to the test.

She called to request a hearing.

“We don’t have anything like that,” she was told.

Leila let CPP have it in her February column, winning a promise from the city to do better. Last week, the city made good. It told Leila in an email that when the city’s coronavirus moratorium on electricity shut-offs ends in the near future, customers will be told of their right to appeal and be given hearings.

That means customers – for the first time -- will be able to formally challenge disconnections, denials of payment plans and other CPP decisions.

And that, my friends, is the true value of quality journalism. Take away The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com, and CPP doesn’t change its ways. Take away a columnist like Leila Atassi, and CPP’s customers are without a champion to get them their due process.

Leila is but one of the journalists at The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com who are looking out for you. How many other institutions in your life are actively working in your best interest?

Thanks,

Let's block ads! (Why?)

"score" - Google News
June 27, 2020 at 07:13PM
https://ift.tt/3eFKB2W

You want watchdog journalism? Score one for columnist Leila Atassi and tens of thousands of CPP customers - cleveland.com
"score" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2OdbIHo
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update

Bagikan Berita Ini