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Dear <<First Name>>,

Chris Womack was president of Georgia Power for three years. April 1st, 2023, he became president of Southern Company, a giant step up for both his career and his compensation. To prepare, he has purchased the home you see above.

I am not against career success…I have certainly enjoyed that. And what business is it of mine that he’s purchased a fabulous home and is part of the 1%? Well, because the money he is spending is our money - money you and I give to him every month on our power bills.

Let’s be clear: Georgia Power is a for-profit company owned by Southern Company, also a for-profit company whose mandate is to maximize shareholder profits. That’s it. That’s the mandate. Full stop.

Since Georgia Power is a monopoly and you don’t have a choice in your electric provider, the state of Georgia regulates it with the Georgia Public Service Commission, a state agency paid with taxpayer funds.

How’s that going for us? It’s going terrible. Here’s a joke someone told me recently? “How much does it take to sell a public service commissioner?”  “I don’t know. How much?” “Nobody knows. Georgia Power’s never sold one.”  hahaha - ?? Is that funny though?  

No. It’s not.

Let’s take a look at our new Southern Company president, Mr. Womack.

First, I want you to see that although he’ll earn a compensation of probably $20 million annually if he follows in his predecessor Tom Fanning’s footsteps, he cannot add. See for yourself. Here’s a 30 second clip of him not being able to add 3 numbers together:

Then let’s watch as Mr. Thomas asks Mr. Womack to confirm the impact on customer bills, which Mr. Womack is also unable to do. He is just unable to speculate on “that number at this time”.

OMG really? You don’t know how much your own rate increase request impacts your own customer’s bills?!?!

And yet…”that number” Mr. Womack refuses to speculate on is correct. Ga Power bills are going up 45% over the next 12 months. That’s INSANE. But Mr. Thomas, attorney for the public interest at the podium, can’t be so tempestuous. He can only say, “Are you disagreeing with that number?”

Does Mr. Womack really have no grasp of what his company is asking for and its impact on customers? Of course not. He knows that people like me will take clips and push it out for the public to see so he just refuses to say it. But folks, it’s real and it’s happening. And it’s sickening. No other utility would dare do such a thing as raise bills this amount in this short of a period. No other state commission would allow it. Only in Georgia. And that’s why last summer when they tried to take me off the ballot I fought back and won - for you.

I don’t mean to sound big headed - anyone who knows me knows that’s the last thing I am. But I couldn’t walk away and let them win by illegally gerrymandering me off the ballot because that means they get to continue their mafia-like behavior of the rich making decisions that harm the rest of us and using strong-arm tactics to do it. It’s got to stop and I mean to stop it.

Now before I go let me put a little context here regarding Mr. Womack predecessor. You might not have noticed that Mr. Tom Fanning, Southern Company’s previous president, slunk away into retirement without fanfare end of March. What, no AJC headlines? No Atlanta Business Chronicle profile? Why not? Normally when a Fortune 500 CEO retires it’s big news, like when Bernie Marcus retired from Home Depot or when Roberto Goizueta retired from Coca Cola.

It’s partly because of the shame of Plant Vogtle’s Units 3 and 4 that are still not producing electricity after 13 years of trying and a cost of $34 billion and growing. But it’s also because of a scandal related to Matrix. No, not the movie. A real life scandal that reveals Mr. Fanning has been having an affair, and numerous other unbelievable ethical violations.

From the story above, “The Matrix scandal is a political and corporate scandal involving the use of private investigators, intimidation campaigns, and smear tactics by the Southern Company and its subsidiaries, including Alabama Power. The scandal came to light in 2022, when it was revealed that Matrix, a long-time consultant for Alabama Power, had hired a private investigator to surveil Tom Fanning, the CEO of its parent company, Southern Company.

The surveillance of Fanning was allegedly initiated by Joe Perkins, the founder of Matrix, in order to influence corporate decision-making and succession planning. Perkins has denied any wrongdoing, but the scandal has raised questions about the ethics of the Southern Company and its use of private investigators.

The Matrix scandal has also had a significant impact on the political landscape in Alabama. In the wake of the scandal, several state legislators have called for an investigation into the Southern Company's use of private investigators. The scandal has also damaged the reputation of the Southern Company, the seventh largest employer in Georgia.”

Despite the story calling for accountability, there’s been none as best as I can tell. Mr. Fanning retired without fanfare, and that’s it. He’s also raked in the dough, earning over $70 million in compensation during his final three years of his office - again, off us paying our expensive Georgia Power bills.

So yeah, I guess slinking off to retirement without fanfare and ceremony is best. Southern Company wouldn’t want y’all to know about any of that, would they?

So Mr. Fanning retires with his millions and Mr. Womack slides in to replace him. PSC Commissioners keep getting reelected by voters year after year. Nothing changes.

But the ratchet tightens slowly and eventually the rope will break. I believe we are at that breaking point now. My candidacy to replace Mr. Tim Echols, who cavorts across the state attending every event, festival and parade he can while charging taxpayers five times any other commissioner for his travel expenses, pretending to be something he’s not - am I tilting at windmills? Is winning this seat possible against an unethical incumbent and an even more unethical corporation? Georgia Power and Southern Company are so far over the line they don’t even see it. Do voters see it?

Next Tuesday and Wednesday May 2nd and 3rd, are hearings for “Fuel cost recovery” where the utility is asking the commission to allow them to add nearly $2 billion to our bills beginning immediately in June. The commission is required to reimburse Georgia Power’s costs…and Georgia Power is protected from any bad decisions they make while we aren’t.

Want to know how much wind costs? It’s free. How about solar fuel costs? Oh yes, free. So no, I’m not tilting at windmills. I am offering you, voters, accountability. I am also running for myself, to channel my rage at the Public Sellout Commission, to use the words of a new campaign that Georgia Conservation Voters launched (which I love). Check out their campaign at https://billsaretoohigh.com/.

Running for this seat gives me a chance to expose what happens inside these hearing rooms which few people know about. So watch those video clips - you need to know what you are paying for. Look behind the curtain.

I can win this seat! I am not afraid of Georgia Power. I am not afraid of Southern Company. I will always stand up for you.

Please don’t forget to help me reach my matching gift goal of $8400. We’re close but we still need about 10 more donors of $150 to make it, or fewer for those who can do $250. If I can’t reach voters with my messages (which will be MUCH shorter, lol) I can’t win. I need funds to pay for digital ads, social media post boosts, radio ads and mailers. Please help.

Thanks for reading and your support. It’s the best thing about running for office.