Local leaders demand utilities pay for leaving customers without power

Local leaders are demanding that Con Edison and NYSEG pay up for leaving customers in the dark over the past two weeks.
Dermott Whalen, his wife and his 93-year-old mother-in-law went without power in Bronxville for 10 days, waiting for Con Edison to fix the problem.
"We got a room for three nights and we stayed there for the past seven nights," he says.
Whalen says his hotel bill was $1,600, and he believes Con Edison should reimburse him and the rest of their customers for hotel stays they never anticipated taking.
Local leaders are also calling on utility companies to pay up for their inadequate response to the storms.
While Con Edison is offering to pay for customers' spoiled food, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano is calling on the Public Service Commission to force Con Ed to cover customers' hotel bills and pay them for two days' worth of service fees for every day they were without power.
He also wants explanations about why there weren't adequate crews.
The Westchester County Board passed a resolution Monday night demanding NYSEG and Con Ed reimburse the county for money spent to operate warming centers and pay first responders overtime.
Customers are considering a boycott on their bills.
"I stopped automatic pay, because you know what I am not going to pay these people automatically. I want to hear what they have to say," says Whalen.
The Westchester Board of Legislators is also calling for the resignation of senior management at Con Ed and NYSEG.
Con Edison tells News 12 it will review claims for hotel stays submitted on its website.