Duke Power’s $320 Million Rate
Increase Will Hit Industry Hard
By Teresa Simmses
Past Managing Editor
Hearings are taking place now to
determine if Duke Power will re
ceive the requested $320 million par
year rate Increase. It’s like a court
scene in Raleigh with the Utilities
Commission acting as Judge and
Jury, the Attorney General’s office
representing the consumers and
various lawyers representing Duke
Power.
But as hard as Duke Power is
trying they seem to be digging a hole
that’s getting larger. It’s not quite
the hole at the Cherokee Plant in
South Carolina - virtually a hole in
the ground and abandoned construc
tion, according to the N.C. Attorney
General’s office spokesperson, John
Simmons (Deputy Attorney General
of Policy and Planning). “If the rate
increase is approved $52 million will
go to pay for the Cherokee Plant, an
abandoned site and a bole in the
ground which will never be used,’’
Simmons explained.
consumers should not pay for
abandoned construction sites,” Sim
mons continued. “This is just one
reason the Attorney General’s office
gave for the reduction of Duke
Power rates instead of an-increase
of the rates.
“Hie bottom line,” Simmons con
tinued, “and, according to the facts
we have, instead of a $321 million
increase in rates, there should be
$180 million decrease.” North Caro
lina Attorney General Lacy Thorn
burg has urged the Utility Commis
sion to cut present rates by $180
million, or nine percent.
■! Hie other hole Duke Power
seems to be digging is for indus
tries. “The increase will hit in
dustry hard," Simmons announced.
“Hie difference might be the profit
to a company, especially North
Carolina’s textile companies, which
are already suffering. Hie increase
might be the straw that breaks the
cimd't aacir*-—
“Duke Power is an efficiently
managed company which has
money In the bank They should look
after the benefit of the consumers aa
well as the stockholders of the'cocn
pany,” Simmons submitted.
The Utilities Commission has
granted an average of 61 percent of
Duke’s past rate increase requests
Let’s suppose the Commission does
not grant the bulk of the $331 million
(reduced by Duke Powtar from $340
million on July 16). Several ana
lysts warn that the company’s
capital-raising cost could increase
sharply while stock prices fall. It
would mean that the Catawba nu
clear power plant’s operating costs
would be shifted from rate payers to
stockholders.
Thus, according to Duke Power s
Media Project Director, Joe Maher,
. the company’s ability to function
will be “hindered" as was reported
in the first part of this series.
LOCAL OPPONENTS
Ron Leeper, City Councilman,
feels there is a void in Duke
Power’s justification for a rate in
crease. “It will have a substantial
and devastating effect on the poor
and people who have minimum in
comes. Electricity is a necessity and
some will have to decide whether to
eat or to be able to have lights and to
stay warm.”
Charlie Dannelly, City Council
pan, also feels compassion for those
on fixed incomes. “The effect will be
awful,” he explained. "It will be
hard for many to make ends meet
and many will have to do without a
lot of things to maintain their elec
tricity."
As for the City of Charlotte,
Dannelly explained that Duke
Power has a contract with the City.
“Duke Power does not charge bulk
users like the City of Charlotte with
the same rate as residential users.
“The City is under contract with
Duke Power and until the contract
expires, the rate increase will have
no effect upon the City. And then
—negotiations will probably take_
place.”
If the present rate increase were
in effect for the City, the coet *bf
electricity would be 11.7 million per
year, according to both Dannelly
and Leeper.
And, according to Leeper, if this
happens, the bulk of the revenue
would have to come from property
taxes. “That would have a double
effect upon Charlotteans,’’ Leeper
explained, “there would be a sub
stantial Increase to the taxpayers
and an increase in their power
bills." .
The rate increase, if approved,
will, in part, be used to recover costs
of the newly operating Catawba
nuclear plant. “But we’ve dis
covered evidence that the Catawba
pladt wasn't needed to begin with
and Duke Power knew or should
have known that the plant was not
needed,’’ stated Simmons. The law
states that anything in the rates
must be based on used or useful
operations,” Simmons continued
Dannelly feels that consumers
should not be expected to pay for
investments or expansions. He feels
that the company could avoid the
rate increase if there were funds set
aside from stockholders’ dividends.
“If the dividends, for instance, for a
stockholder is $500 put aside $100 for
future improvements and expan
sion. They would then have enough
money to build facilities for new
customers instead of charging the
present users.”
THE HOLE DEEPENS
Ola worked for a textile company
but was laid off months ago. With
little education she has been unable
to contract a good paying job.
Minimum wage would bring in about
$560 per month, but after day care
for her four children that would be
reduced just about to the amount she
is now receiving on welfare~$210
per month.
So she scuffles with the $210 per
month while she continues to look for
worthwhile employment.
-Here is part of ha- testimony
, before jjhe Utilities Commission
See DUKE POWER On Page 12A
Sophia Blackmon, program director of the apprecia
tion committee, proudly presents Rev. and Mrs. Paul
Drummond a gift on his appreciation day. Rev.
Drummond has been pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church
for 15 years. Last Sunday, fellow ministers, friends,
and members of the congregation gathered to say
thank you. Rev. Don Steger and his choir were the
guest speaker and musical group. Among those who
were on hand to offer a few kind words of appreciation
were Bob Walton, and church members Bobby
Lowery. Marilyn Johnson. James Lytle. Willette
Robinson, Donald Chisholm. John Love, L. M.
Dawkins. Hattie Simmons, and Carolyn Ginyard.
'Meat ?6
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' 2
*
•'/A ^Sheryl Payeour
Sheryl Paysour, manager of
Paso’* Mini Market at 2905
LaSalle St. in Charlotte, ia
co-owner, along with Wallace
Paysour, of the convenience
store. Ms. Paysour says, ‘Tve
always enjoyed the grocery
business. I was assistant man
ager for my father, Wallace
Paysour, at Paso’s Super
market for five years.”
Paso's Mini Market sells
discount beer and wine, hair
care products, grocery items,
raagsttnes, and cards for all
own gnd manage Paw’s Mbit
Market because, as she says,
always had the dwirl to
woman"
A lover of music, travel
ing, and gardening, Ms. Pay
sour has one sen, Will Stubbs
ttl. Her parents are Wallace
and Barbara Psysour, and she
has a brother, Wallace Pay
sour Jr. |
Rosalie Johnson
Ever since Johnson Florist
Shop opened in 197S, it was
owned and operated fay Lester
and Rosalie Johnson. It was
not until two years ago when
Lester Johnson died that
Rosalie Johnson became the
sole owner of the florist shop.
As sole owner, Mrs. Johnson
is responsible far the design
ing of floral arrangements and
directing services for wed
dings, banquets, conventions,
parties, and funerals Her de
signs consist of exotic flowers,
fruit baskets, candy, plants,
gifts, and silk and dried ar
||i
I
Her interest in the floral
business blossomed at the en
couragement at her husband
who had worked with flowers
since age 14 When he decided
te open hi* own florist shop, he
taught Mrs. Johnson mors
than she ever learned In
schools. Some of her educa
tion came from courses in the
Charlotte Federation of Gar
den Clubs, FTD Teleflora, j
AFS Design Class, and the '
North Carolina State Flociiit. ’
Association design dee/
Johnson Florist Shtgf is lo
cated at «34 N GraWm St .
Sylvia Grier
/
Aa Executive President of
Services Unlimited, Sylvia L.
Grier is a busy woman. Ser
vices Unlimited, which she
founded in April of this year, ia
“designed to create, de
velop, and promote women
and minority-owned buei
ness,” Grier explains. Plans
Include the preparation of a
directory of women and mi
nority businesses, as well aa a
newsletter directed toward
parents and teens and one fo
cusing on entertainment
A graduate of Olympic High
School, Grier has attended
Central Piedmont Community
College and is a member of S.
Tryon Presbyterian Chord)
She belongs to the Chamber of
Commerce and Carolina Mi
nority Development CourtcU,
is a network cBrector for the
National Assoclptlon of
Female Executives, and
of the ’Ma of Charlotte. Grier,
who la the mother of two,
Donald Jody" Da via Jr., 14,
and Jtaaha J. Davie, u, la
alao active in the World Trade
Club and la on tbe mailing Hat
for American Woman Buai
nee* Ownere, Charlotte Wo
men Tlmlmii Owner*, and
Atlanta Woman Bualneef
Grier can be reached at
S37-2S70 or MS-0081.
Vanessa Harris
Dial 563-LOVE and you'll
reach Strawberry Shortcakes
and Friends, a quality Chris
tian childcare center, for ages
sixVeeks to five years, owned
and operated by Vanessa
Harris.
“For the love of children, to
fill a need of Christian day
care in the Charlotte area,
and to fulfill my ambition of
wanting to own my own busi
ness," are the three purposes
Harris says she had in mind
when she decided to open this
center in September of 1964.
Her current duties are to
direct the staff, plan pro
grams, and develop activities
inside the center and ouL Also,
she initiates all administra
tive functions and lends her
hands in cooking, cleaning,
and anything else that needs
, attention.
Strawberry Shortcakes and
Friends is located at 3300
Central Ave. and is a state
licensed center.
A member of Victory Chris
tian Church and a member of
the Afro-American Cultural
Center, Harris Is married to
Harry, a general sales man
ager for Sam Johnaon Lin
coln Mercury. She la the
mother of three daughters,
Angela, four, Geneva, seven,
and Rosalind, 11.
Wanda Webb
Psychological services, in
cluding individual, group,
<' family, and marital therapy in
addition to management and
organization development, is
what Webb, Webb, and Asso
ciates’ business is about
Wanda M Webb, Ph D ,
along with her husband, John
L Webb Jr , MSW, are the
professionals in this business,
located at 1321 Romany Rd
(365-1791) Mrs Webb is now
working on a special project
involving Parent Education
“This program,*’ Mrs Webb
stated, “involves child man
agement and parenting skills
Many times therapy sessions
concern children and there
seems to be more of a need for
education than therapy in
these cases And educational
sessions are cheaper than the
therapy sessions.”
The program lasts 10 hours
and focuses on child disci
pline, developmental need of
parents, effective communi
cation skills and problem soiv
ing techniques.
Mrs. Webb received her
bachelor's degree in history
and black studies from Hof
stra University. New York
her master's in counseling
from Columbia University in
i New York, and her Ph D. in' -
counseling and psychology
from New York University
Xlma Sealey
Alma Sealey, of Sealey’s
Sanitary Barber Shop, gives
her deceased husband and
partner, William P Sealey,
the credit for getting her
started in her barbering
career "My husband was a
barber when I married him,”
she notes "He never liked to
cut hair on Sundays, so he
taught me " After his instruc
tion, Mrs Sealey attended
Bull City Barber College in
Durham for her professional
training, driving to Durham
on Mondays, and returning
Fridays
That was 26 years ago
Working day in and day out
next to her husband did not
pose any problems In fact,
she says, “It was fun Moat
people didn't know we warn
man and wife.” Now, Mrs
Sealey works part time, while
her niece, Rrenda Blackwell,
and another barber, the Rev
Jimmy Hunter, keep Die ball
rolling
Located at M3 S. Brevard,
Sealey's Sanitary Barber
Shop provides haircuts for
both men and women, sham
poos. s-curl relaxers, shaves,
and facial massages Shop
hours are S:30 a m. to ft p m.,
Tuesday through Saturday
Mrs Sealey has been a
member of Mayfield Me
morial Baptist Church "since
it was orgiatoed” and serves
on its deaconess board.