Buffalo Grove Officials Rip ComEd's 'Song and Dance'

After months of waiting for ComEd’s response to nearly 100 Buffalo Grove residents who filed claims for damage and losses during last summer’s , the electric company replied.

And Buffalo Grove officials are not too happy with what they heard.

“It was as if ComEd again looked at the Village of Buffalo Grove and said, ‘screw you,’” Trustee Jeff Berman said.

In a Feb. 27 email to village staff, a ComEd representative said the company reviewed “approximately 98 storm claims” and denied all of them.

“In general, damages resulting from storms, wind, ice, and other incidents beyond our control are not approved for reimbursement by our claims department,” External Affairs Manager Diane Emerson wrote in the email, which was obtained by Patch.

“ComEd spared no effort in restoring power as quickly as possible, and we appreciate the patience our customers showed,” Emerson wrote.

Village officials at Monday's Board meeting expressed anger and disgust with the response, which followed two in 2011. On both occasions, Buffalo Grove officials about power outages and poor communication.

“We got the usual song and dance from ComEd,” said Berman, who asked fellow trustees to demand that the company reconsider its claim denials.

Trustee Mike Terson agreed, noting that many customers had their power restored, only to lose it again after the storm had passed.

“That just screams of negligence to me, when you lose your power, gain your power, and then there’s no bad weather and you lose your power again,” he said.

Officials also referenced a recent Chicago Tribune story that detailed an Illinois Attorney General’s report that blamed last summer’s outages on ComEd’s poorly maintained equipment.

While no Buffalo Grove officials suggested that the village give up its fight on behalf of its residents, one wondered what it might take for ComEd to take it seriously.

“Talking to them, writing them, threatening them doesn’t work,” Trustee Les Ottenheimer said. “I will solicit ideas from anyone, short of violence."

“I’m not advocating litigation, but maybe that’s how you get somebody’s attention,” he said.

Village Manager Dane Bragg suggested targeting the Illinois Commerce Commission, the state agency that regulates ComEd. He said he will discuss the village’s options with its attorney.

“If someone wags the proverbial finger at you, you have to respond,” Berman said. “If we don’t take a stand and go on record, we’re letting them walk on us.”