West Islip Residents Weigh In On LIPA's Future

A state panel reviewing the Long Island Power Authority’s (LIPA) handling of power restoration following Hurricane Sandy has recommended that a privately owned power company should replace LIPA.

Earlier this week, Newsday reported that the Moreland Commission said LIPA’s dysfunctional management structure hampered its efforts to restore power following Sandy and also led to poor communication with residents across Long Island, including Lindenhurst.

The panel, put together by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, recommended having a privately run company replace LIPA, with some panel members saying it is likely that the utility’s customers will never regain confidence in the power company.

West Islip Patch, on its Facebook page, asked local residents their feelings on the panel’s recommendation.

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Marianne Pizzo Bowden said, "What happens to all the employees of LIPA? Hate the company all you want but the people who actually do the work will suffer if there is no job security for them if they do this."

Mike Burke responded, "Less than 100 employees at LIPA....essentially a board with a command and control mission. Yet when we needed command and control most with central strong leadership they failed....only a year after another storm. They were using paper maps to identify outage areas I mean come on. They are neither efficient or leading edge so why pay them?"

Vincent Radmann doesn't think switching companies will have much impact. "We still pay no matter what," he wrote.

What's your take? Weigh in in the comments below.