The City That Lost Control: The True Story of How Greed, Deception, Politics, and a Battle Over Green Energy Shattered a Community - Paperback

by Edward J. Jr. Bielarski (Author)

The Story

After a decade of transforming the city-owned utility into a weapon against climate change and a vehicle for social good, the City of Gainesville was on the verge of imploding. The last spark was a contract for biomass power, negotiated under a veil of secrecy, which would cost utility customers over $2 billion. In response, an unconventional general manager is enlisted to salvage the fiscal wreckage and get out from under the onerous contract. What ensues is an epic negotiation and spectacular political brawl that reaches far beyond the contract and outside the city limits - from Wall Street to the Florida State Capital.

Written in the style of a novel, The City that lost control will take you behind closed doors as it re-creates the drama behind today's headlines. The story will attract non-fiction readers and is worthy of being required reading at every business school in America. If you enjoy cheering for the underdog, fighting city hall, or speaking truth to power, you'll love this book.

First time author, Ed Bielarski spent his 45-year business career in pursuit of equitable solutions for startups, turnarounds, and transitional organizations. He's a former CPA, with a BA in Accounting, and an MBA in Strategic Management. For the past thirty years, Ed has focused solely on the utility industry serving in multiple capacities, but always as a Wartime Consigliere to an industry in transition.