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Naperville Smart Meter Awareness
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| | | | Informing the community about the risks of "smart" meters
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| | | | | What is the city hiding?
| In a recent article, city officials called FOIA requests made by community members and members of NSMA abuse and harassment.
Doug Krause's response, "Perhaps if we were more transparent and answered more questions there wouldn't need to be so many FOIAs in the first place."
Its interesting that the city manager would choose these words when all one really needs to do is review some of the videos of past council meetings to see what really amounts to abuse, harassment, and intimidation.
The costs the city associates with FOIA responses are ridiculous. Who knows if they are accurate as it seems like the city is making it up as they go (click here)
In fact, many of the FOIA requests were made because the city officials told us we would have to FOIA information in order to get the answers we were looking for. (click here to see for yourself)
The bulk of those costs are likely the legal expenses associated with the city's attempts to block the referendum question and the federal filing, both of which could've been avoided had the city executed the 12 month extension afforded them in the DOE grant and been willing to come to the table with a true "opt-out" where residents are able to keep their analog meters. Learn from Maine, CA and the UK.
NSMA began requesting information through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) after countless sit downs and email exchanges with council members and city staffers b/c questions were answered vaguely or not at all. Members of the community have also engaged the council via email, requesting meetings, but have chosen to cancel those meeting based on the responses from the council, both in city council meetings and via email. For those who have had enough courage to address the council in public, they have been dismissed, embarrassed, and even yelled at.
One 25 year resident and psychologist told NSMA that after what she saw at the October 4, 2011 council meeting and the way the council spoke to citizens, there was no reason to meet one on one with Grant Wherli. By her opinion, he had made up his mind, he was defensive, and, right or wrong, he was determined not to allow anyone to have a reasonable exchange with him.
Unfortunately, no one could've predicted that a few initial FOIA requests about budget and safety studies would've revealed the inappropriate and allegedly illegal activity engaged in by our city staff that have lead to multiple investigations by the IL Attorney General's office.
This is an abuse of power by the city council, using their capacity as elected officials to make personal attacks on residents who are concerned with improprieties in the way that the NSGI has been handled.
These FOIA requests have yielded evidence of:
> Apparent illegal activity by city staff engaging tax payer resources for political purposes
> False information that was relied upon to arrive at punitive pricing for the wireless workaround
> The city's vendors inserting lobbiests or "ambassadors" into public forum at city council meetings
> Blatant misstatements of fact surrounding costs associated with PR on this issue
> Blatant misstatements of this project being on-time and on budget despite projected overruns of $1.2 million on support of one component of the NSGI network
> Inappropriate travel by city staffer paid for by vendor
> Multiple instances of apparent violations of Illinois Open Meetings act
Could this by why the city council and city staffers are now whining about the number of FOIA's being submitted? What else are they hiding?
Instead of addressing the mismanagement of the city, and inappropriate behavior of city staff, management, council and vendors, the city has chosen to attack residents who are spending their own time and resources to lawfully hold their government responsible.
Our message is the same as its been for months:
This is a highly controversial project, being banned across the country due to public outcry and lack of ROI. Residents and business owners were not given the appropriate opportunity to weigh in on this issue. We want the choice, and for those who choose it, we want it installed safely.
If an organization has to spend upwards of $73,000 after spending hundreds of thousands on PR, to address customer concerns and there is pending legal action by those customers, at what point does the responsible organization say, "This might not be a cost effective initiative. If we want success and customer buy-in, we need to go back to the drawing board."
Naperville city council can stop the project at anytime and go back to the drawing board. They just have to choose to do so.
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|  | Law Suits, Complaints and Resolutions
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| | | | Donate Now
| | Naperville Smart Meter Awareness is a self funded 501c6, funded by board members and community members who believe in our cause.
We are solely interested in advocating for a fiscally responsible and safe utility solution in Naperville and the rights of the voters to be heard on this issue. Click here for more information or to make a donation.
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| City continues to install despite community concerns
| "Smart" meters are not federally mandated.
Naperville's utility and the City Council do not have authority to force a resident to accept a smart meter on their home.
Know your rights! You have the right to say No!
If you do not want a "smart" meter on your home do the following:
Visit our What you can do page for signage and more information.
1) Post a letter of No Consent on your meter and send a copy to the utility, certified mail.
2) Call the installer (UPA) at 877-423-3194 and ask to be taken off the install list. Note the name of the person you speak with.
3) Post a "Do Not Install" sign on your meter and another on your front door. Samples & stickers available by clicking here.
4) Be home when the installer tries to replace your meter. Inform them of your rights to say no. Insist they wait pending legal action against the city.
5) Put up a yard sign, contact us and we'll drop one off.
6) Call Mayor Pradel and insist he protect your rights under the US Energy Act of 2005. mayor@naperville.il.us (630) 420-6018
7) Donate to support the filing for Injunctive Relief against smart meters in Naperville. Click here to donate |
| More that you can do
| Many residents do not want a smart meter installed on their home. They want the choice and according to the U.S. Constitution and the Energy Policy Act of 2005, we have that right. The city has denied its residents the choice.
According to the city you will have opportunities to refuse the wireless smart meter, but you must sign up for the non-wireless alternative and pay the monthly penalty fee to protect your home and family. If after the 3rd attempt to install a meter on your home, and you have not signed up for the alternative, the city says it will bring a police escort to your home to intimidate you into allowing the installation of the wireless smart meter.
We feel this is outrageous. There must be something serious wrongly with smart meters if the city has to threaten you to install one.
Visit our website for more information on what you can do. Click here.
Contact the Attorney General's office (317-814-3000) or click here
Contact the Governor (312-814-2121) or click here to email
Contact Naperville's Chief of Police. (630-420-6666)
Contact the Better Government Association (312-520-4999); Email BGA
Contact the press.
Tell them Naperville is not a "police state" and residents won't accept being threatened or forced to install a meter on their home that they do not want.
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| Sign the Petition
|  If you have already made up your mind and don't want smart meters in our community then sign the Cease and Desist petition.
Tell the city to stop the install of smart meters in Naperville.
Thousands of residents have already signed on.
Click here to request a yard sign. |
| | | Naperville Smart Meter Awareness is a group of concerned citizens educating the public about the risks of wireless smart meters. We are comprised of lawyers, technology professionals, health advocates, accountants, business owners and parents in our community.
Smart meters are currently being installed in Naperville despite a complaint for federal injunction and on-going investigations by the Illinois Attorney General for Open Meetings Act violations by the City of Naperville in conjunction with this project.
Smart meters pose risks in the areas of privacy, costs, security, and health and are not a federally mandated program. Our mission is to educate the residents of Naperville by bringing all pertinent information to the public and in doing so, advocate for a smarter solution in Naperville.
www.napervillesmartmeterawareness.org
napervillesmartmeters@yahoo.com
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