Protests call for removal of RG&E in favor of public utilities

Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) — The group 'Metro Justice' taking to the streets today, to ask Monroe County legislatures to look into public utilities.

A large crowd of people marching through the streets of Rochester, in protest of RG&E. The group pushing to replace the utility company with a public utility.

“Right now, RG&E is continuing to be the bad faith actor that they’ve always been,” said Mohini Sharma, the Organizing Director of Metro Justice.

The study would cost Monroe County taxpayers around $1 million. The county already voted against the measure in November, but not unanimously.

“The majority of Democrats support it, we just need one or two more votes to get this over the finish line, and then we need county executive Adam Bello to sign the legislation once it’s passed,” Sharma said.

RG&E pushing back. They say the study would just tell residents what they already know.

“It will waste taxpayer dollars and it's something that taxpayers are footing the bill for,” said RG&E Communications Manager Alexis Arnold. “It’s not right for the county it's not right with the city it’s not right for our customers.”

Calls for a public utility started in 2022 after RG&E customers experienced wild billing errors and a lack of customer service from the company.

The state fined RG&E nearly a million dollars over the issues and the company has since worked to improve service.

Activists feel other area towns and cities across the country have benefitted from public utilities.

“There are cities across the country similar sizes that have public utilities. Seattle does. Winter Park FL does which is a super comparable example. A number of cities in California. It’s not just small cities it's big as well,” said Helena Webster, who’s part of Rochester for Energy Democracy Campaign.

In a statement, prominent union and labor leaders are speaking out against the push for government-controlled power in Monroe County saying it would risk efficiency, create higher rates for residents, and impact thousands of jobs.

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