Pip board, Chamber of Commerce, Frankfort Times etc….You are on target…we absolutely must have a plan.  That lack of a plan is exactly what caused this ex-utility executive and media owner to do his homework regarding the actions of the Frankfort Utility Service Board two years ago.   But you can cry plan, plan, plan until you’re blue in the face but you are missing what is causing the Utility Service Board’s total confusion on the 1.7 million dollar Fiber Optics/Data Center project.  We are overlooking the obvious   The answer is simple and  fundamental.

          Great insistence and persistence on the part of this writer and others caused the Frankfort Utility Service Board to be created.  Why?  Previously under the full control of the Mayor, the City of Frankfort’s owned electrical utility was unable to provide reliable electric service to the rate payers of Frankfort. The electric distribution system was a disaster!   The reason, politics reigned and the needed expertise was missing. Your radio station’s electricity would be SHUT OFF in the 7 am prime time hour to do switching for our industrial row customers.  The cry was IF YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO RUN THE ELECTRIC UTILITY…SELL IT OFF TO SOMEONE WHO DOES.  Politics was killing our electric utility…are we now headed for the same tune…second verse as it applies to the Fiber Bridge/Data Center?  

        Kaspar Broadcasting aired many well researched programs with outside Utility executives etc…plus the experience of this Frankfort citizens’ several years of utility executive experience.  We aired editorials aimed at saving the profit making electric utility.  We maintained it was worth saving to benefit Frankfort residents.  Through this and other efforts we successfully saved our electric utility.   

        Since then Frankfort’s  electric utility has been vastly improved, our distribution system has been rebuilt and service is good.  The city owned utility has contributed greatly to the citizens of Frankfort by reducing the amount of taxes required.  In 2007 alone…the utility turned over $400,000 to the city coffers plus many, many other free services such as lighting up TPA park at Christmas time etc.,etc.,etc.  The list of contributions is long!  

          The ordinance that took the Frankfort Utility out of the exclusive hands of the Mayor and placed it into the hands of a Frankfort Utility Service Board was created as described in Indiana Law….IC 3-10-9-4 which provides, in part, that;  (1) a majority of the members to be appointed by the executive and a minority of the members to be appointed by the legislative body.  I don’t know what his Honor the Mayor is now saying to his appointees .... .if he is saying anything.  I do know the Mayor is not particularly interested in maximizing the 1.7 million dollar Fiber Optics/Data Center portion of our utility system.  I do think he should be interested in shepherding this Frankfort asset to the maximum benefit of our city.  I would think that would be in his job description.  That goes for the Frankfort City Council appointments as well.  
          The confusion…. the deadlock..the lack of ‘business thinking’ the direction, formation of plans and execution of our 30,000,000 dollar utility business today….results BECAUSE OF A LACK OF REALIZATION THAT THOSE APPOINTED TO GUIDE OUR  30 MILLION DOLLAR FRANKFORT UTILITY ENTERPRISE MUST BE VETTED FOR HAVING SOLID BUSINESS EXPERTISE, WILLING TO DO THEIR HOMEWORK, BECOME KNOWLEGABLE OF 21st CENTURY TECHNOLOGY AND BE CONSTRUCTIVELY INVOLVED IN SUPPLYING INFORMED LEADERSHIP.  Politics as usual takes us to where we are now…confused and the loss of opportunities. 

          Ask the question….can you successfully make decisions and guide a 30 million dollar business, part of which is 21st century complicated technology…without those qualities?  These assessments particularly apply to the new 21st century…1.7 million dollar Fiber Optics/Data Center portion of the 30 million dollar enterprise the 5 appointed members of the Frankfort Utility Service Board are responsible for guiding.      

          You can cry PLAN, PLAN, PLAN until you are blue in the face.  As a concerned Frankfort citizen you should do just that…but let’s be real.  Until you get the right enlightened informed leadership and management in place you are wasting your breath and newsprint.  

          Go back and re-read my April 17, 2008 public piece, next to the last paragraph, where we said for all to see “let’s not panic and say NO, NO, NO until we really understand what it is that we are saying NO to.  It is posted on www.wilo.us.  

          If you think you can steward this 30 million dollar growing, now 21st century technical business without skillfully appointing knowledgeable utility board leadership that is willing to spend whatever time it takes…do research…..have business expertise….do their homework, in order to contribute constructive informed leadership…If you don’t do that I would then say it would be wise to rethink the way you are going about it.   It is no secret why we are having problems of confusion and apparent bungling of opportunities.

 

  Vern Kaspar  Thursday, August 07, 2008