Protesters push muni-choice bill outside Unitil offices
By Nick Mallard, nmallard@sentinelandenterprise.com
Posted: 12/11/2011
FITCHBURG -- Nearly a dozen protesters stood outside the Unitil building in Fitchburg on Sunday, pushing for municipal choice for electricity in the region on the three-year anniversary of the 2008 ice storm.
Holding signs that called Unitil a monopoly, the protesters said they simply wanted a choice for who provided their electricity.
"If I want to buy a Ford, I can. If I want to drive something else, I can," Townsend resident Bill Wiswanger noted. "Why can't we choose who provides our electricity?"
Cathy Clark -- of the group "Get Rid of Unitil" -- said that the protest, which went on for just over an hour, was put together quickly and numbers suffered from the short notice. Still, support from the honking horns of passing motorists gave the protesters reasons to be optimistic.
"It's a reminder that we're not happy with how things are and we want change," Clark said.