The following is a press release from the office of City Councilman Vincent Gentile:
CITY HALL – At yesterday’s Stated Meeting, Councilman Vincent J. Gentile joined his colleagues led by Council Speaker Christine Quinn to authorize a study into the feasibility of burying overhead power lines underground in order to keep New Yorkers safe during severe weather emergencies. Continue reading »
Con Edison building (Image courtesy of Stig Nygaard).
According to the Daily News, the son of murdered Bay Ridge clothier Mohamed Gebeli will no longer have to pay an electric bill that ballooned to over $700 while the family store was kept off limits - and the shop’s lights were kept on – as police spent over two months investigating the crime scene for clues.
The alleged killer, Salvatore “Son of Sal” Perrone, was arrested on Nov. 21, and charged with the murder of three Brooklyn shopkeepers – the first of which was Mohamed Gebeli.
From Daily News:
Mohammed Gebeli, 65, was shot dead July 6 at Valentino’s Fashions [ibid] in Bay Ridge — the first of Salvatore Perrone’s three suspected victims.
Police kept the store closed while they conducted the investigation.
Gebeli’s son, Moe, got the shop keys back on Sept. 20 after he returned from Egypt, where he buried his father and visited relatives. The lights were on for more than two months.
Moe Gebeli then received a letter from Con Edison which threatened to take away the clothing store’s electrical meter – unless the family paid $734.66.
While Con Ed acknowledged to reporters that Gebeli had called customer service and mentioned the police investigation, they denied knowing that his father had been killed.
On Friday, November 31, the utility agreed to prorate the bill – virtually eliminating any charges that had accrued during the period when family members didn’t have access to the store.
But despite the apparent happy ending, just as many Hurricane Sandy victims have learned while living in houses without power, the bills – they just keep on coming…
“I’m glad you’re telling me that,” Moe Gebeli told Daily News. “Because I just got another bill in the mail today for $1,627.49.”
Con Edison building (Image courtesy of Stig Nygaard).
[UPDATED] 12/13/12 Con Ed is now saying the store’s electric bill will be prorated not to include charges that accrued during the more than two month police investigation. Read More
After suffering the loss of a father and husband, the family of slain Bay Ridge store owner Mohamed Gebeli is reportedly fighting Con Edison over an unpaid bill from the 77 days their shop Valentino Fashion was an off-limits crime scene.
According to the Daily News, Moe Gebeli, son of ‘Son of Sal’ victim Mohamed Gebeli, is speaking out against the utility for insisting he pay a $734.66 bill – or face the loss of electricity to the small mens clothing shop that serves as the still-grieving family’s main source of income.
“How is this fair?” Moe Gebeli asked reporters last Thursday. “It’s like a slap in the face.” Continue reading »
Image of Con Edison building courtesy of Stig Nygaard.
The following is a press release from the office of City Councilman Vincent Gentile:
COUNCILMAN GENTILE STANDS IN SOLIDARITY WITH UWUA LOCAL 1-2; COMMENDS SPEAKER QUINN FOR DEMANDING CONED FIND SOLUTION TO LABOR DISPUTE
BAY RIDGE– Struggling with its first work stoppage in nearly three decades, while desperately trying to keep the electricity grid running during a July heat wave, ConEd has deployed 5,000 of its managers to stand in for the nearly 8,500 unionized workers who were dismissed on July 1 after contract talks broke down.
At least three managers have already been seriously injured trying to do the work of regular field workers while services such as meter readings and customer service walk-in centers have almost all been completely shut down.
Earlier today, Speaker Christine C. Quinn released a letter calling on ConEd to resume negotiations with UWUA Local 1-2 without the lockout. The letter urges ConEd to place the protection of New Yorkers as its highest priority and resolve the dispute without further delay.
“Let me be clear. Your actions do not have my support,” Speaker Quinn writes Continue reading »