Happy Thanksgiving!
CUB hands out “Golden Drumstick” awards
Last year, CUB handed out "Turkey Awards" to the electric, natural gas, and telephone companies that particularly annoyed customers.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, this year we're taking a different angle to show how thankful we are of all the Illinois consumers who support CUB.

All of you deserve awards, but we’re picking out a few people who symbolize the spirit we see every day from consumers who help CUB fight fat utility bills.


Martin Bruyns, of Herrin
On this day, Nov. 25, 2008, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) awards the "Golden Drumstick" to Martin Bruyns, of Herrin, for his loyalty to Illinois’ movement against electric rate hikes.

Mr. Bruyns is a familiar face at electric rate-hike protests, sometimes in a wheelchair, sometimes carrying a cane, but always brandishing his signature sign that manages to be both angry and funny at the same time:

“WHEN ARE THOSE FAT-CATS EVER SATISFIED??”
And on the other side, it reads:
“I.R.S. TAKES YOUR SHIRT--AMEREN YOUR PANTS TOO"

“I’ve got a tough heart and I’m young enough to fight,” the white-haired warrior, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and an appropriately white hat, said at a recent protest over electric rate hikes.

Mr. Bruyns, we are thankful for consumers like you who never quit fueling the fight against unfair utility rates. CUB promises, we’ll keep fighting too!

Keep up-to-date on the latest battles against high phone, natural gas, and electric rates at CUB’s website.
Michelle Lewis, of Bloomingdale
On this day, Nov. 25, 2008, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) awards the "Golden Drumstick" to Michelle Lewis, of Bloomingdale, for her tenacious efforts to cut household costs with CFLs.

"I am a 50-year-old single mother of a 17-year-old daughter who likes to leave the lights on in all the rooms," Ms. Lewis began in an e-mail to CUB back in August.

She took CUB’s Get Green pledge to use at least one Compact Fluorescent Light bulb (CFL) in her home, but went well beyond that. “I’ve already installed four CFLs and would like to install more, especially in my daughter’s room,” Ms. Lewis said.

She’s not just using CFLs to reign in her daughter. It’s part of her life plan. Ms. Lewis has been studying to become a nurse and said “money is very tight.” All the more reason to use CFLs, which burn 75 percent less energy and can save consumers up to $50 for each bulb.

Ms. Lewis, we are thankful for consumers like you who prove that "going green" is not just a quaint hobby but a necessity for anyone who cares about their pocketbook, as well as the planet.

Take CUB’s Get Green pledge and you will qualify for contests to win 50 CFLs or a month of free electricity. The community at the end of the year with the highest percentage of pledges will win up to 10,000 bulbs.
Brenda Brown, of Alsip
On this day, Nov. 25, 2008, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) awards the "Golden Drumstick" to Brenda Brown, of Alsip, for her determination to tame her tangled phone bill.

Ms. Brown didn’t let a 20 mile drive stop her from trimming her calling costs. After hearing about a CUB phone-bill clinic in downtown Chicago, Brown used her hard-earned gas money to drive from Alsip to the James R. Thompson Center to find out how much she could save.

CUB made sure Brown’s trip wasn’t in vain, showing her how to cut the bill by $40 a month—a whopping $480 a year!

“Boy, have I been wasting a lot of money,” she said. “It was worth the drive.”

Ms. Brown, we are thankful for determined consumers like you who constantly remind us why CUB works so hard to connect people across Illinois with solid information that will help them make deep cuts in their expenses.

Find out what Ms. Brown learned. Go to CUB’s Phone Savings Center.