THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Saturday, February 1, 1997            TAG: 9702010010
SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A8   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                            LENGTH:   19 lines

DOWNSIZED POWER

Is it my imagination, or has the ``corporate downsizing'' that Virginia Power's been going through had anything to do with the fact that my power has been out at home three times in the past 12 months for at least six hours each time?

I can never remember being without power for that long at any time in my prior 50 years. Does the State Corporation Commission care about the quality of our electrical service as well as the cost? Has Virginia Power cut its costs too far?

TOM HODDINOTT

Portsmouth, Jan. 23, 1997