[Watchdogs] Charity money paid out by PEC

[langston at zeecon.com]

About a year ago, I wrote a request to Melissa Westmoreland asking 
for a breakdown on Charity money paid out by PEC in 2007.

The total of Charity for 2007 shown on the form 990 was $309,254.80.
I asked for a breakdown by letter.  The breakdown came back:

     $ 156,003.44  Matched employees contributions for charity
     $         551.36  Int coop integrity 
What is this?
     $ 100,000.00  Wholesale Power 
Alliance                                   Surely an error
     $         300.00  Four H
     $    38,000.00  Scholarships             Voted by the Board
     $    14,400.00  Local Educational Program       Voted by the Board

     $ 309.254.80 TOTAL for 2007

Maybe some of you can fill me in on what this money got us.  I was 
particularly struck by the $ 100,000.00 sent to the Wholesale Power 
Alliance.
I have not gotten any information on just who or what this is.  I 
would really like to know why we continue to send $100,000.00 to The 
Wholesale Power Alliance.

Just why this minor item is stuck under the Charity section escapes 
me. I mentioned this item of $100,000.00 to the Wholesale Power 
Alliance to the management in the trust that the long-awaited AUDIT 
by KPMG would correct it and put the item in some other column.  The 
AUDIT did not correct it. 

We seem to send out such huge funds to varies industrial groups that 
such a small item is just too pigmy to attract interest.  Do you 
suppose that someone in PEC management knows why we donate this money 
to this group?   Do you think that there is anyone in PEC who has the 
faintest idea of what PEC might get back for this donation?

Now.....This brings me to the point of the hundreds of thousands of 
dollars put aside by the PEC Board for the express purpose of helping 
poor folks pay their electric bills, in 2007?
Where is the 500 or 600 Thousand Dollars shown in the Annual Report 
for that amount of Charity?  It's not in the Charity list.

I wrote a letter to Westmoreland asking for a breakdown on the item 
of 13 Million Dollars shown for Miscellanea, on the 2007- 990 form, 
on the 4th of April.  No answer, yet.   Maybe the $5-600,000 set 
aside for paying electric bills is lurking there.
I venture that a lot can be lurking in that 13 Million Dollar Misc. 
item.  The Misc item is the second largest item in the report.

More, Later       Paul Langston  830-598-1322