Enfield Officials React to Resignation of CL&P Head

Jeffrey Butler's Thursday has prompted response from leaders of one of the hardest-hit towns from the Oct. 29 nor'easter, .

"The resignation is not a surprise to me due to the public outcry following CL&P's initial response to Storm Alfred," Mayor Scott Kaupin said. "I have got to believe that the issues that CL&P need to address go a lot further than the resignation of Mr. Butler. He appears to be the sacrificial lamb. I can only hope that CL&P makes all the necessary changes in their organization so that their reaction to any future large scale power outage is greatly improved."

State Reps. David Kiner and Kathy Tallarita issued a joint statement which read, “It is obvious that CL&P was not prepared for this storm and the resignation of its president, while appropriate, does not settle the issue. Northeast Utilities needs to examine what CL&P needs to do to ensure that it is better prepared to deal with future storms. Too many of our Enfield residents had to endure serious hardships because CL&P failed to protect their customers. Everyone needs to work together to develop a strategy and a plan so that CL&P’s poor performance is not repeated in the future.”

State Sen. John Kissel said, "I believe Mr. Butler handed in his resignation because he believed people's feelings were he was impeding CL&P's ability to move forward from the Halloween nor'easter. I still believe we need to learn from all of the reports that are being created, so that CL&P can provide more reliable service to the people of Connecticut."

Town Manager Matt Coppler, who spent a considerable amount of hours working in Enfield's emergency operations center during the storm and the ensuing blackout, said, "Following the aftermath of Storm Alfred and the issues CL&P had in responding to the crisis, it was obvious that changes had to be made at every level of CL&P. Hopefully CL&P are working to improve not only their ability to react to future emergencies, but also provide timely, relevant, and necessary information to the municipalities that make up CL&P’s service area."

Butler, 55, was elected President and Chief Operating Officer and a Director of CL&P effective July 1, 2009, according to his Forbes profile. He responded to numerous media inquiries with the following statement Friday afternoon:

“While I appreciate that the media may be interested in speaking to me about my decision to resign from CL&P, I have no comment, and will have no comment beyond the following statement.   

In just two months the state of Connecticut has faced two historic storms and the most challenging restoration in CL&P’s history. The employees responded to each event with dedication and resilience performing well under very difficult conditions. It is a performance I am proud of. And yet, from both storms, there are lessons to be learned. 

I believe CL&P will emerge even stronger from the review processes that are underway. However, I did not want my presence to be a distraction to that effort. 

I ask for the media to please respect my and my family’s privacy as we all move forward.”