New GRU Authority Board should represent community, embrace key values, Sierra Club tells DeSantis

Press release from Sierra Club Florida Chapter

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Today, noting the need to bring transparency and accountability to the Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) Authority board, the Sierra Club’s Suwannee St. Johns (SSJ) Group urged Governor Ron DeSantis to follow key criteria when appointing new board members. 

The criteria, written by the SSJ’s Energy and Climate Action Team and outlined in a letter to DeSantis, are based on community representation, values, and expertise. The group is calling for board members to reflect the range of incomes, ages, educational levels, and cultural backgrounds in the GRU service area, to adhere to values of transparency, integrity, and energy justice, and to have expertise in such areas as energy generation and distribution, renewable energy, and economic justice. 

The newly-created state-appointed GRU Authority board resigned in mid-March to settle a lawsuit over their eligibility to serve as board members. The state accepted nominations for new board members until April 16. 

Sierra Club’s Suwannee St. Johns Group said, “We offer the following in the spirit of stabilizing a volatile situation and establishing transparent, accountable, and representative governance. We trust that you share those values and would like to see such governance as well.”

Jyoti Parmar, Sierra Club Florida Organizing Representative said, “Affordable energy is foundational to a healthy and productive life in our society, and we must ensure that all segments of our community have their energy needs met. We call on Governor DeSantis to appoint a GRU Authority board that represents and reflects the diverse communities it serves.”  

To read the letter, click here.

  • More BS from the left. We don’t need any so called ‘tree huggers’ trying to decide how to take back our utility from the woke city commission.

  • These clubs/groups/npo’s are part of the problem and need to stay the hell out of it. Stick to city hall where they can get their butts kissed and their pet project handouts

  • This hijacked wannabe chapter of the Sierra Club is as much of a joke as Carter and the current GRU board who resigned.

    Let’s hope Governor DeSantis ignores these fools and appoints more competent board that isn’t a lapdog for the Gainesville City Commisison and can actually accomplish something positive for GRU customers.

  • Any and all groups including this bunch that supported and shoved the Biomass up our a#&&$$ should have no say or input on how GRU tries to dig out of the hole the Sierra Club and Gainesville Commissioners dug for us. They are in a LaLa land of denial of the financial damages they should be sued for.

  • Sierra Commie Club does NOT represent anybody but greentards and green lawyers.

  • “To adhere to values of transparency, integrity, and energy justice, and to have expertise in such areas as energy generation and distribution, renewable energy, and economic justice.” So the Stupid Club wants someone exactly the opposite of the City Commissioners they so proudly endorse. That’s worked so well for Gainesville.

    Here’s hoping they go the way of the dinosaurs.

  • My personal preference is for QUALIFIED board members who know something besides activism, government or nonprofit jobs. People who know profit and loss, accounting, owning/managing large businesses, problem solvers, not problem creators.

  • They do by protecting citizens against greedy politicians, commissioners, and bureaucrats.

  • Oh for God sake… the left wing sierra club member or former member maybe since they are a part of the commission needs to stop his grabbing antics… that man makes me ill with his lies and furthermore it’s only part of the sierra club falling for that commissioners BS.

  • No, No, NO! GRU is a business, not a social justice experiment. The Sierra Club is way off base in these recommendations and should be ignored.

  • I agree. . . start first with lower electric rates, lower water/wastewater rates, etc. This city commission as well as past commissions going back 20 years have destroyed a, once great, utility. One of the very best municipal utilities in America.

    • Unfortunately, GRU needs to pay off the nearly $2 BILLION debt that the politicians have forced on the GRU customers under the direction of Peegren Hanrahan, Lauren Poe and Harvey Ward. And Ward wants their piggy bank back to finish the job.

  • Some things in life are ez to predict. For example, anything relating to Desantis.

    Therefore, I will predict:
    1. All five nominees will be middle aged white men.
    2. All five will be hard core card carrying Republicans with extreme loyalty to Desantis as their main qualification.
    3. No more than one or two nominees will have any prior experience with a utility.

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