CUB celebrates 25 years of fighting
for Illinois consumers
January 21, 2009—The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) is celebrating its 25th
anniversary in 2009. Check out the slide show on this page, which includes
highlights of CUB’s money-saving history and our brushes with Illinois’ big
players, including mayors, governors—and even a future president.for Illinois consumers
We’re proud of the fact that our dedicated staff has saved Illinois consumers more than $10 billion by blocking rate hikes and winning refunds for consumers over the years. Such success sparked a St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist to dub CUB the “gold standard” for consumer groups nationwide.
If there’s a way to cut your telephone, natural gas, or electric bills, we’ll find it. It’s a job we’ve loved the last 25 years, and one we’ll embrace for the next 25.
As our anniversary year progresses, CUB will continue to fill this page with news about how we’re celebrating and items about CUB’s history. Enjoy the slide show, and I hope you’ll consider contributing to CUB to help us continue our money-saving mission.
David Kolata
CUB Executive Director
New governor was instrumental in CUB’s creation!
Just weeks before he became governor, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn celebrated CUB's 25th birthday by giving the consumer group his "Hometown Hero Award." See the video and read CUB Executive Director David Kolata’s recent newspaper column about the new governor, who led a petition drive that rallied support for CUB’s creation.
CUB handed out 650 money-saving light bulbs, analyzed a few phone bills, and offered “CUB Cakes” to celebrate its 25th anniversary this week at the State Capitol in Springfield.
Busy CUB staffers and board members on Wednesday, May 13, could hardly keep up with the crowd swarming around the CUB display, hungry for free Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs), which can cut electric bills by up to $50 over the lifetime of each bulb.
“That’s all we use,” retiree Fred Jones of Chicago said of the CFLs. “They cut my light bill drastically.”
Jones said he even filled his mother’s house with CFLs, which last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs and help reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants. He also took CUB’s “Get Green” pledge, promising to keep using the bulbs for the good of the planet and his pocketbook.
Leonard Ferguson also came to the CUB table to pick up a CFL and thank the consumer group with a contribution. “I think we need to have another voice to keep (the utilities) honest, besides the regulators,” said Ferguson, who worked as a utility engineer for the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) for 16 years.
CUB had already helped Ferguson cut his phone bill. The consumer group introduced him to Pioneer Telephone’s Rate Buster long-distance plan, which is one of the best deals in the country with rates less than 3 cents per minute and an automatic CUB-negotiated $20 credit.
Staffers also kept busy delivering CUB-labeled cupcakes, dubbed “CUB Cakes,” to legislators, along with an offer to hold money-saving events wherever the consumer group was needed in the Land of Lincoln.
CUB ended the day at Gov. Pat Quinn’s office, where staff and board members ran into popular Secretary of State Jesse White, founder of the famous “Jesse White Tumblers,” who have thrilled crowds at halftime shows, Fourth of July parades, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. White took time to shake hands and brag about CUB to a group of visitors he was showing around the capitol.
Then it was picture time with Gov. Quinn, who quickly began to quiz CUB Executive Director David Kolata on legislation the consumer group supported.
The CUB staff in Springfield on May 13 included Executive Director Kolata, Pat Clark, Jim Chilsen, Celia Christensen, Patrick Deignan, Annette Evans, Bryan McDaniel, and Sarah Moskowitz.
The CUB Board members who participated were President Robert Craig Neff, Vice President Obie Cobb, Secretary George Miller, James Betts, and Philip DeMaertelaere.
The State Capitol birthday party may be over for CUB, but the consumer group always has a presence in Springfield, fighting for consumers. In fact, Policy Analyst Bryan McDaniel had to leave the festivities to make a meeting about pro-consumer legislation at Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s Office. CUB has made a lot of memories over the last 25 years. Whether it was fighting for and winning a $1 billion electric refund for Ameren and ComEd customers, helping a bookstore shave more than $13,000 off its annual phone bill, or shaking hands with a future president, CUB has been there, fighting for Illinois consumers. In honor of our 25th anniversary, we’ve put together a list of the best 25 things about CUB’s 25 years. With your help, CUB will continue adding to the list for another 25 years and beyond.