November Version: (Intro → Issues → Agitation → Solution → Frame the Choice & Call the question → Process to Win → Inoculation →  Plan to Win & Recommit → Ask)

Introduction: Who you are, who you’re with, why you’re there

• Hi, my name is ______, and I’m a volunteer with a community campaign to kick out RG&E and replace them with a nonprofit, public utility. We’re going around the neighborhood talking to folks about their experiences with RG&E and how we can create a public utility instead. What has your experience with RG&E been like?

Their issues & story: who are they, what is their life like, what problems do they have with RG&E?

• 80% listening/20% talking, and most of the talking should be providing affirmation and asking questions. Avoid leading questions.
• Get a sense of their overall life, then get more specific about their experiences and possible problems with RG&E. Some questions you can ask to help find their RG&E issue:

• Have you ever had to deal with customer service for an issue?
• How has RG&E billing been working for you?
• Have you ever experienced a power outage?
• Did you hear about the 34% rate hikes over the next 3 years? What will that mean for you?

• Ask lots of open ended follow up questions to dig deeper.

• Examples: can you give me an example? What was that like for you? How did that impact [x aspect] of your life?

*Ask to be invited in once they start talking about their RG&E experiences. Example, “You’re not alone in facing these problems with RG&E – may we continue this conversation inside actually?”

Agitation

• Reiterate their most significant issue and lay blame on RG&E. Lay the blame on RG&E and how it's a foreign-owned, private corporation that prioritizes profit over people.
• Ask them if how this makes them feel, and if they think this is fair or okay.
• Ways to highlight RG&E as the problem (focus on 1-2)

• Sucks $122 million a year in profits out of our community despite failing in every way; guarantees shareholders a rate of profit but doesn’t guarantee customers quality of service
• Just won a rate increase of 34% in distribution rates over 3 years, and wins rate increases every 2-3 years from state regulators, despite service getting worse and worse
• Shut off over 13,000 of our neighbors and local businesses last year
• Aren’t doing enough to transition to green energy to address climate change, and aren’t incentivized to; plus, they’ll just pass on the costs of a transition to ratepayers as so as to not cut into shareholder profits

Solution:

• Transition: Hundreds of residents agree with you! RG&E is profiting off of failure, and we’re tired of it. That’s why we’re fighting for a public utility that’s better.
• Solution: We could have a public utility that lowers rates because its not-for-profit, is responsive and accountable to us by having an elected Board with community representatives and experts, invests the money we pay back into our local economy for things like a comprehensive green energy transition, and brings back good union jobs that have been lost to RG&E’s outsourcing. Fairport, Spencerport, and Churchville all have public utilities that are cheaper and more reliable – we should all have that!  

• What would it mean for you to [pick their main issue with RG&E, and connect it to the relevant principle of energy democracy to illustrate how their life would be a better with a public utility]

Frame the choice & call the question

• Right, that’s what we stand to win! So we have a choice to make. We can either continue to allow RG&E and its foreign shareholders to exploit us for a basic need, or fight together for a public utility that is just and locally controlled. Will you fight with us to take over RG&E and turn it into a public utility?
• If they’re resistant, you can ask - You just said you have XYZ problems with RG&E that are affecting your life in XYZ ways. Do you see anything changing if we don’t fight for a public utility?

Process to win

• NY state has a clear process for communities to own and control their own energy systems. To create a public utility, we need to win 3 consecutive victories.

• We need Rochester City Council and the Mayor to fund and commission an implementation study that gives us the blueprint for how to form and run a utility that meets our goals. [We want them to do this with input from Metro Justice and other relevant experts on the scope of the study and choosing a third party firm to do the study.] This is the step we’re in right now.
• Then either the City or the County would need to vote to put a question on the ballot, where residents will have to go to the polls and vote yes for a public utility. If a majority votes yes, RG&E is mandated to sell its assets to the public. Almost no one knows that we can vote RG&E out - the only thing in our way is politicians.
• Then we pay for the buyout over 30 years through our energy rates, not taxes, and those rates will be lower from the beginning! The study will tell us by how much. [Once we own the utility infrastructure, now it’s time to implement our vision!]
• (Pause to let them react, and answer questions they have)

Inoculation & power in numbers

• So there is a clear process for us to win, but do you see this being easy? Do you think RG&E is just going to let us replace them? What do you think they’ll do? (Pause; let them share some thoughts).

• Right, they’re going to fight us tooth and nail! They have a huge amount of political power, and they’re going to put a ton of money and staff towards misinforming the public and lobbying legislators to their side. One way we can see their political power is that the Head of the influential Chamber of Commerce [Bob Duffy] is paid over $200,000/year to sit on the board of RG&E’s parent company.

• They will use these connections to try and make both politicians and the public afraid and confused about a transition to public power. You may have heard some of their biggest misinformation points already. I’ll go over them briefly so that you’re aware of them! [only review the ones that haven’t come up yet]

• RG&E is claiming that buying them out will be too expensive and make bills increase. That’s not true. They’re inflating their cost, but also, 6 out of 7 recent studies of Public Power all found that public utilities would result in significant cost savings, even after factoring in the cost of purchasing the grid through our rates. Public utilities are on average 13% cheaper, but Fairport for example is ⅔ cheaper. This is why we need a study that will tell us the value and potential savings.

[pause to see if they have questions]

• Which brings me to another way that RG&E is trying to scare people is. Transforming RG&E into a public utility will not raise anyone’s taxes because the takeover will be financed by the money from energy bills, not taxes. Taxes won’t go up at all and have nothing to do with this. [pause to see if they have questions]
• Lastly, RG&E is trying to convince the public that a public utility is “government control” that will leave us with less say in our energy. This is fear mongering meant to deflect from the fact that with RG&E, we have absolutely no control over our heat and electricity. Shareholders control RG&E, and we don’t get to vote on who the shareholders and board members are of RG&E’s two parent companies. We’re fighting for community control: which means a public utility that is owned by the City continues to operate independently. Customers should get to vote on important decisions, elect an independent board to oversee the new public utility, and that board should hire competent general management that aligns with our goals and values while retaining all current RG&E employees. Examples right here like Fairport Electric show that public utilities are cheaper and invest more in reliability and upkeep. [pause to see if they questions]
• We hope to hold a referendum in the next two years, and the buy-out of RG&E will likely take about another year after that. How fast we’re able to accomplish our goals depends on the strength of our movement!
• [Pause for further questions]

• So we know that RG&E will keep lying to the public and lobbying our elected officials. To win, we need to be more powerful than RG&E’s monied influence with politicians. That means organizing more people to side to build a mass movement for a public utility! Do you see us beating RG&E without you, your neighbors, and others in your community joining the fight, talking to your neighbors, and organizing to force politicians to listen to the community?

Plan to win & get a recommitment

• Right, that means we need you to join us in talking to thousands of residents to bring them into the movement. Then together, we need to lobby elected officials, get the vote out for the referendum, and hold public actions to pressure politicians, including more mass direct action like civil disobedience if necessary. RG&E’s multinational corporate owners aren’t going to go down easily, so gaining control of our energy is a multi-year fight. Can we still count on you to fight with us for a local and just utility?

Make the ask

• Sign the RED Petition

• Right now, the first thing we need is to show the Mayor and City Council that a public utility study has immense public support. You can take the first step by signing our online petition. Will you sign to show your support today? [Have them sign on the paper petition, check to make sure it’s legible and that they gave you at least either email or phone number].

• Join the movement and get involved - volunteer

• Like we discussed earlier, we won’t beat RG&E unless you and your neighbors fight for a public utility. This means it can’t just be me [and —] out here talking to people, we need you out here too talking to your neighbors. Will you come to our next New Member Orientation on Sunday March 23 from 2-4pm, with snacks, children welcome? [Can you scan the QR code on the flier to fill out the event RSVP? Also note yes/maybe responses for your notes this!]
• [If they seem particularly interested:] Would you additionally be interested in joining our committee meetings? Our next one is Wed. March 5 from 6-8 at 389 Gregory St. [Please note if so!]

• Ask your neighbors, friends, family and coworkers to sign the petition:

• A thing you can do right now is ask your neighbors, friends, family and coworkers to sign the petition.

• Will you talk to others to ask them to sign?
• Who do you think you could ask to sign?  
• When can you talk to them and to ask them?
• Will you share this flier with them so that they can sign the petition by using the QR code? [Leave them with a few half sheets if so]

• (If supportive) Excited to have you in the fight with us, great to talk with you! [If applicable: we’ll follow up with a reminder about an Outreach Day! Let them know there’s a guide for conversations and more information under the “Learn More” page at the QR code.]
• [Make sure you have legible contact information for you so that we can follow up with you on staying involved]