PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament (MP) Darryl York questioned why GEBE’s new temporary manager and incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Thomas Roggendorf had granted an interview to USA TODAY, but has yet to engage with local media on his plans for the company.
A photo that GEBE’s new temporary manager and incoming CEO Thomas Roggendorf posted on his page with the USA TODAY reporter. In his post, Roggendorf said he had the pleasure of welcoming Silvia Arteche from USA TODAY to GEBE’s office for an exclusive interview. He went on to list the range and depth of issues covered during the interview.
York made the remarks during the continuation of the parliamentary debate on the 2025 budget on Monday.
“Last week I saw a USA TODAY interview with the new temporary manager [of GEBE], but to date, I haven’t seen any local media houses being able to interview any of the new management board of GEBE.
“So, my question to the Minister is: is there a reason for that, and when does the new managing board plan to, aside from sitting with USA TODAY, sit with some local media houses and explain the way forward? Because I can only assume that just like we have it in this House, new chair, new rules, the same thing goes for GEBE as well. So, I am very much interested in the vision and goals moving forward,” York said.
In his interview with USA TODAY, Roggendorf addressed a range of in-depth issues including GEBE’s strategic direction covering topics such as enhancing energy capacity and reliability, transitioning to renewable energy, strengthening resilience through the underground utility infrastructure project, integrating smart grid technologies, and fostering public-private partnerships to drive innovation.
It should be noted that The Daily Herald is one of the local media that had attempted to obtain an interview with Roggendorf, but received a response from GEBE stating that he was still “prioritizing internal engagements and strategic briefings” and that such meetings – an interview – “will not be possible at this time.” The company said media interviews would be scheduled at a later time.
In follow-up correspondence, The Daily Herald expressed surprise at the decision to not grant the interview, especially given Roggendorf’s recent USA TODAY media interview. The Daily Herald said in a follow-up correspondence to Roggendorf that Roggendorf had demonstrated a clear understanding of his role through his recent interview with USA TODAY. Given this, this newspaper finds it difficult to accept that he could not yet engage with the local media outlet.
The Daily Herald said that if the manager was able to communicate with foreign media, he should be equally prepared to speak with local journalists. The newspaper has formally reiterated its request for an interview, seeking the same level of access and terms that were granted to USA TODAY. Despite this follow-up, GEBE had not responded to the request as of press time.
