Please Vote No on Aquarion

At this evening’s public hearing on the Aquarion acquisition of the Bethel water system, Bethel residents were astounded to hear that Aquarion has contributed to the PAC formed to influence Thursday’s vote approving the sale.  This stunning admission comes on the heels of a race to ram through this sale of essential Town resources in a transaction which has rapidly outpaced the public’s information and understanding of the details, much less the disadvantages of the transaction.    

As the residents, voters and water customers of Bethel are the constituency served in this instance, it is they who need to be provided with sufficient information within a sufficient timeframe to consider it in order to make a reasoned decision on this important issue.  The solution is not the formation of a PAC to influence the vote, but rather the free and full sharing of information followed by a public dialog informed by appropriate disclosure.     

I would suggest an alternative which encompasses the advantages of this proposal without the disadvantages:  that the Town of Bethel lease the water system to Aquarion with an option to buy.  That option would only be exercisable if Aquarion hits certain empirical customer service and other targets which would appear to be well within Aquarion’s expectations based on their claims to the residents of Bethel.   In light of Aquarion’s representations at the hearing this evening, I cannot imagine the basis upon which they could oppose such a proposal. 

In this way, we can “kick the tires” to see whether Aquarion can deliver on their promises.  Moreover, if Aquarion is true to their word, they have no reason to oppose the idea of such a lease with an option.  Please vote “NO” on Thursday and permit a further exploration of our options as Bethel residents.

Bill Hagan