On Thursday, Town of Somerset Councilwoman Cathy Pickar starred on ABC 7's Good Morning Washington to talk about the "Pack up Pepco" campaign that she started in response to the lengthy power outage that much of the area experienced after the June 29 derecho.

Pickar's petition is very much a grassroots movement—neighbors helped her prepare the petition, and her daughter, Crystal Pickar, helped with the website. 

The "Pack up Pepco" song—which is ready and waiting for a flash mob—was written and performed on YouTube by Pickar herself. The lyrics of the refrain capture well the mood of the community post-derecho:

Six long days and 100 degrees, the sweat drips thick with corporate greed.

The live wires dancin' and the hot sparks fly while the people try to celebrate the Fourth of July!

Frustration with lengthy power outages has been mounting for years in Chevy Chase neighborhoods—and elsewhere in Pepco's service area—but the violent "storm was really, I think, the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Pickar told ABC 7 News.

Pickar's "Pack up Pepco" petition calls for:

• "Governor O'Malley to demand resignation of ALL current Maryland Public Service Commissioners (PSC) and make new appointments to include a disaster response expert and a prominent consumer advocate."
• "The PSC [to] levy significant fines against PEPCO that directly benefit customers using Senator [Brian] Frosh's and Senator [James Rosapepe's] 'Surge Reserve' model." 
• Pepco stockholders "to make changes in PEPCO corporate leadership."

"We all must congratulate Council member Cathy Pickar for her extraordinary efforts to get PEPCO to address our concerns about power failures," wrote Town of Somerset Mayor Jeffrey Slavin in an email blast.

"Her presentation on Channel 7 yesterday was outstanding and I am sure that PEPCO is listening. I urge everyone to get involved in this important grassroots movement," Slavin added.

To sign the "Pack up Pepco" petition, visit www.packuppepco.com and click on the red "Sign Here" button. (You'll have a chance to read the petition before signing.)