Tim Gregori’s True Colors
Let’s just say he’s not a man who works well under pressure.
Last night, Tim Gregori — general manager of SME, of which Electric City Power is a member — made a long-overdue appearance at the City Commission. No clue what prompted this visit, since he certainly did not say a whole lot during public comment.
So I got up and asked Mayor Winters if he would please ask Mr Gregori whether the City could see a copy of the PPL-SME contract — you know, the one that will give rise to big “stranded costs” for the City if we choose to liquidate ECP.
Mr. Gregori’s answer? No.
You see — that’s a problem. In order to conduct any independent analysis of whether ECP is a “good thing,” we need to know about the details of our power supply via PPL, which is scheduled to last to 2019. Burns & McDonnell, Coleen Balzarini, the ECP Board — none of them have seen this contract, but all of them have felt comfortable declaring that it gives wonderfully favorable terms to SME.
I might be more willing to accept these representations, completely lacking in evidence and solely based on trust, were it not for two things: 1) SME’s long history of moving targets and half-truths, and 2)Yellowstone Valley Electric Co-operative’s loud objections to this very contract. Terry Holzer — general manager of Yellowstone, the largest and most well-resourced member of SME – has actually seen the contract, and he doesn’t think it’s all that hot. He says that it will require SME to buy way more electric power than it needs once HGS is built (forcing co-ops and ECP to sell the power back to the open market at a loss) and that the supposedly favorable provisions about carbon and property taxation in fact simply back-date what inevitably will be huge price hikes to SME members. There is also the issue of whether the PPL contract is “unit-contingent” to the Corette power plant — PPL’s oldest and most unreliable. If that plant goes down, a “unit-contingency” contract would cause SME members to bear the brunt of that, not PPL.
Quite simply, it is absurd that the City cannot even review a document which is purported to give rise to a very large financial obligation for the City. True Bizarro World stuff, and a good example of why the City — no matter the merits of ECP — ought not be involved in a business which is so gung-ho on secrecy.
During a recess, I passed by Mr Gregori. He stopped me, I reached out to shake hands with him. He refused, saying he would not “shake hands with someone who doesn’t understand a confidentiality agreement.”
Pretty odd reason not to do so, if you ask me. But if Mr Gregori wants to act like a fifth-grader, then let him. I got to the substance of the matter: to paraphrase, “You know, Mr Gregori, you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. You can’t say that you want all the benefits of doing business with the City government, and then try to undermine every rule that’s meant to protect the City taxpayers’ right to know.”
At this point, Mr Gregori interrupted me and said, “I can smell alcohol on your breath.” Honestly. That was his response to right-to-know issues. And, boy, if he didn’t call it — I had had two beers with a friend before arriving to this 7 p.m. meeting. Is Officer Gregori going to throw me in jail for that? I’ve got to say — the exchange left me dumbfounded and begged the obvious question: “What is this guy’s deal?!”
Mr. Gregori’s off-topic, ad hominem approach is, of course, not the type of argumentation one would hope for from SME’s general manager. He gets paid $224,000 a year including benefits, but nonetheless apparently finds it impossible to 1) carry on a moderately heated conversation about the issues and 2) outwit someone he implies is impaired. Not to make too much of this, but I think Mr Gregori’s childish reaction is a fitting allegory for the wider point, which is that SME is an amateurish and unresponsive operation that has already lost the trust of its largest member (Yellowstone’s lawsuit accuses Mr Gregori of abusive business practices and irresponsible financial management). That trust is rightly hanging by a thread with the City. And small wonder: The boss-man can’t even respond to a rather mild and wholly legit criticism without resorting to personal attacks!
Well, as Jesus says, turn the other cheek. Next time I’m in Billings, I am going to drop off with Mr Gregori a six-pack of my favorite micro and see if we can’t have a reasonable conversation about some of the issues facing SME and, by extension, ECP and City taxpayers.
Let’s us know how your beer summit works out. In the meantime, damn! What a strange encounter.
Nice work, Travis!
And I can say from experience, Travis on 4 beers is still smarter than most of the rest of us, Gregori included!
Gregg, is Travis smarter than your wife?
I once was accused by Mr. Gregori of “Cherry picking facts.” I was at a county hearing on the zoning for HGS, the Coal plant version. The call for rebuttal went out. I went up and spoke to previous comments.
I told Mr. G I just did not feel at all guilty about using facts to get my points across. He then accused me of making “personal attacks.” I had never mentioned anyone in my remarks, just what I knew from previous public documents.
I must admit I rather enjoyed the exchange. He was quite hot and bothered.
Craig, I’m smart enough not to answer that!
I wasn’t sure.
(OT)
Gregg, if you knee bugs you at night trying to sleep ask you doc about a cortisone shot. My knee did after surgery. The shot put the fire out.
Open government means OPEN gov’t, especially if it involves public funds.
OPEN — Obfuscatory Politicians Enjoy Naps.
Been there ,done that, got the T-shirt and a button.
Good job Travis,
Many of us have had these sorts of encounters with the flim-flam man over the past five years or so. He has gotten himself so entangled in his own web of lies and deceptions, that now no matter what comes out of his mouth, he gets himself all caught up in his own web. Timmy is a not-so-sharp snake oil salesman who’s no match for folks with a brain and a lick of common sense. Of course that discounts the ECP Board and a few others at silly hall as they have lapped up every word from this man!
Pretty ‘hot’ for getting a ‘cool’ $224K……
Interesting, and especially how the ‘dismissed’ commission were ‘drinkers’ of
SME Koolaid by the gallons. Shall we have ’sobriety’ checks now? What about
a nice glass of Italian wine at dinner? That’s wrong? Please.
I think Travis encountered one of these: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rqH4fUbko2U/S2oOauOoBuI/AAAAAAAAQCM/TjStgZm0da0/s1600-h/middle_finger.jpg
The evening before the Supreme Court hearing we (the plaintiffs) had the (mis)forture to have dinner at the same restaurant as Gregori and company. I thought for a while to come up with an insult to them……… I called the cocktail waitress over and ordered Shirley Temple’s for each of them……………… Timmy wouldn’t drink his.
I have always said, and still say………….Gregori is a con man.
J/C
Thanks J.C., seems like some in city have forgotten the folks on the land and
great work on Airport Board………..keep ‘em accountable.
If you’re in Billings, and he refuses the beer, let me know – I’ll drink it !
Mr. T. K. you have hit the nail on the head as well as put a nose out of joint! (or so it seems). Save your microbrew for a more enjoyable and informative ocasion. It seems that if you need to drink anything while in his camp be sure it is your own bottled water. Beware of pitchers with smiling faces!
Mr. Gregori could have allowed the city manager and commission to examine the contract, as they’re the only ones allowed to look into the ‘black box’, so what’s
the hang-up SME?? Can’t trust city leaders but you WANT our money???
Very good point Publius! Are you listening out there commissioners and city manager?
Things used to go in the Black Box because they were in a city building, printed out by city owned equiptment and received via city email accounts and read by city paided employees. Now those documents do not get into the building. Maybe they do, maybe they don’t not sure. I asked for a copy of the city’s response to the YVEC law suit. Might get it in my Friday Packet.
Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil, Read No Evil and Remember No Evil.
Get Lobotomy just in case.
Very interesting, thanks Mary for trying to stay on top of this terrible situation. Now if someone would please wakeup Judge Phillips…..
Hey,
Maybe you should put Gregori’s “I smell alcohol on your breathe” on his quote page! HAHAAA!
Here’s the link:
http://thinkexist.com/quotes/tim_gregori/
Mr. Kavula:
What is your story? Please post your resume with a short description of all your wonderful accomplishments. You must have done something constructive in you life other than write childish blogs and then get your cronnies to endorse your crap. So far it appears the fruit of your “great talent and education” is to engage in childish attacks on people who actually are trying to do something. I do not agree with everything Gregori is trying to do but at least he is trying to do something. How many people have you put to work? That is other than your alcohol greased mouth – do you always show up drunk at public meetings? Good luck getting elected.