MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In Monday's Ransom Note, for more than 50,000 customers five days after the first frozen rain drop fell, you can take the "L" out of MLGW because there are no lights.
It was just one year ago when CEO J.T. Young boasted that while Texans were shivering, Shelby County needn't worry because our electricity is much more reliable.
"I think at the end of the day, our customers have certain expectations when it comes to our power supply," Young said in March 2021.
They do, Mr. Young, and right now, MLGW is failing to meet those expectations.
If you're going to brag about reliability, that should include not just generating power, but also getting it to our homes.
About four years ago, an efficiency study of the utility found it was overloaded with personnel. Its recommendations went mostly ignored.
Then, a follow-up study found the number one cause for outages was trees and undergrowth not being trimmed back often enough.
In a city where so many folks can't afford to lose a freezer full of food, or may not have friends or family to stay with, MLGW should do better than this.