COMMENTARY
MARK SCHUMANN
When President Reagan’s chief of staff, Edwin Meese, publically denied there are any hungry children in America, I was a young man and naïve enough to wonder how Meese could have made such a claim in the face of undeniably facts.
I am no longer a young man, but I am still naïve enough to be puzzled when intelligent people persist in believing what they want to believe in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Recently, while watching a candidate forum hosted by a local civic group, I could hardly believe what I was hearing when the moderator read the first of five questions approved by that group’s board of directors.
In total disregard of well-reported facts, some continue to persist in claiming City leaders are about to sign a “new” wholesale power agreement with the Orlando Utilites Commission. They also claim the proposed contract revisions will prolong the City’s commitment to buy power from the OUC.
Why is it these intelligent people refuse to see that making positive changes to an existing contract does not constitute entering a new commitment? In fact, despite the implications of the group’s question, amendments to the existing OUC agreement shorten by six years the City’s commitment to a deal negotiated in 2008.
No one can deny the benefit of contracting the term of the 2008 agreement from 20 years to 14, and no one who is being intellectually honest can reasonably claim the OUC’s concessions will do anything but help to lower rates for the customers of Vero Electric. In total, these two changes to the City’s existing contract with the OUC are worth some $171 million to local electric customers.
And who could argue the City and its electric customers are in any way disadvantaged by a change in the OUC agreement that will allow for the decommissioning of the power plant?
Professional psychologist may have explanations for why rational, mature adults persist in believing the unbelievable. Even those explanations, though, may not get at the truth of what is behind current opposition to lowering electric rates.
My hunch is that, having failed in their effort to buy Vero Electric, Florida Power & Light officials hoped to at least have an opportunity to bid against the OUC for the opportunity to sell Vero Electric wholesale power. In an effort to hold that door open, have the fine folks at FPL put their local allies to work trying to kill the OUC deal? That’s what I suspect is behind opposition to cutting a better deal with the OUC.
Come Nov. 3, Vero Beach voters are going to have to make their own decisions about who is best serving their interests, FPL’s local allies, or City leaders who are actually doing what can be done to lower electric rates.
Indian River Guardian 
Have the folks at FPL ever heard of an unsolicited proposal? If they have “such a good deal” for VB/IRC, call the City Manager, call the Mayor and have a face to face. Better yet, put a significantly better offer in writing and you will get everyone’s’ attention. Who does not absolutely love competitive bidding?
If not, please stop mucking up our city/county FPL. Your undermining of the COVB has not gone unnoticed and its resulting ill-will shall remain for many years.
Any offer which can save $750,000 per month should not be refused. We are dealing with politicians who do not want reduced electric rates The same people who raised rates when they controlled the city council are behind the opposition to lowering rates.They just don’t want any good news coming from the present city council. I suppose they want to back to when Pilar Turner was in charge and raised our bills. Yes, her council saw to it almost every year that are bills would go up; in contrast the present council majority of Winger, Kramer, Graves and Old have lowered our rates . If this OUC deal is signed, we will see lower rates . Anyway, it must be good for city and county residents since Charlie Wilson is trying to stop it. Check what he proposed at the last county meeting,and you will have your proof.