The Arizona Corporation Commission, the state’s regulatory body over utilities, has three of its five seats up for election Nov. 4. Whoever is elected will replace three retiring members, Mike Gleason, Jeff Hatch-Miller and William Mundell, all of whom are Republicans.
The continuing members are Kristin Mayes and Gary Pierce, both Republicans elected in 2006.
  
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Sam George, Democrat
By Mike Martinez
Cronkite News Service
Corporation Commission candidate Sam George wants Arizona to be the nation’s leader in solar energy, which he said will help move the state away from dependence on foreign oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Arizona is currently using less than 1 percent solar energy but has the greatest amount of sunshine,” said George, a Democrat.
George, a political consultant who served as Arizona deputy secretary of state from 1990 to 1994, is running for the commission’s three open seats with Democrats Sandra Kennedy and Paul Newman, forming what they call the “solar team.” The candidates say Arizona is too reliant on coal-fired power plants and should do more to harness its abundant sunshine.
George said his administrative experience would make him an effective member of the Corporation Commission.
“I am the only candidate that has run a state agency, and I feel this makes me more qualified than some of the other candidates,” George said.
Since moving to Arizona from Indiana in 1990, George has worked on ballot initiatives including the Voter Protection Act, a proposition passed in 1998 that restricted the Legislature’s ability to overturn voter initiatives. He also worked on initiatives supporting medical marijuana and dealing with health care and education, among other subjects.
George was previously known as Sam Vagenas but switched to his middle name when he co-authored the 2004 book “The Great Divide: Retro vs. Metro America,” which asserts that Republican states are blocking energy policy in Washington and urges that energy policy be revolutionized.
George said nuclear power should be viewed as a last resort to Arizona because it costs too much and takes too long to bring on line.
“Nuclear is not safe, light-years away and possibly dangerous,” George said.
Marian McClure, Republican
By Deanna Dent
Cronkite News Service
Marian McClure says her eight years as a Republican state lawmaker and 30 years of shrewd investing would inform her decisions as a member of the Arizona Corporation Commission.
“I read balance sheets year in and year out because I think only a savvy investor that knows what a company is doing should be in the market,” McClure said. “My overall knowledge of what business and the Corporation Commission are supposed to be doing make me qualified.”
A homemaker and self-proclaimed professional volunteer, McClure served in the state House of Representatives since 2001 representing District 30, which stretches around the eastern side of Tucson south to Green Valley and into portions of Santa Cruz and Cochise counties.
McClure said her top goal is keeping utility rates as low as possible while understanding the need of companies to expect a reasonable rate of return.
“If we do not allow them a profit by requiring officially low prices, sooner or later their business will go out of business,” McClure said.
During a September debate involving Corporation Commission candidates, McClure she said she doubted she would have voted for the commission’s requirement that utilities get 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025. She said she would support the standard if elected, but added that renewable energy is only part of the solution to Arizona’s energy challenges.
In an interview, McClure said she worries whether renewable energy would be cost-effective for ratepayers in the near term.
“My main concern with solar is that the best-cost analysis is that your rate per kilowatt will nearly double,” McClure said. “I have a lot of people that could not afford double the cost of electricity.”
Paul Newman, Democrat
By Maria Konopken
Cronkite News Service
Paul Newman says the lessons of growing up on a dairy farm have come in handy during 30 years of service as a lawyer and public servant.
“We knew the value of hard work and needing to get a job done,” said Newman, a Democrat seeking one of the three open seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission. “Being a child of the ‘60s, we also had the influence of Kennedy’s call that we have a duty to work for our country, which inspired me.”
In addition to working as a lawyer and management consultant, Newman served for six years in the Arizona State House of Representatives. A Bisbee resident, he has served on the Cochise County Board of Supervisors since 2000.
Newman said electing someone from outside of Maricopa County would help the Corporation Commission better reflect the state.
“For the last almost 30 years, there has not been someone on the board who has represented the people of Southern Arizona,” Newman said. “As a result, their voices have not been heard or addressed as much as Maricopa’s.”
Newman is running with Democrats Sandra Kennedy and Sam George, forming what they call the “solar team.” The candidates say Arizona is too reliant on coal-fired power plants. He said utilities haven’t done enough to harness solar.
Another key issue for Newman is one that is becoming increasingly important outside of metropolitan areas: ensuring an adequate supply of clean water.
“Arizona’s growth has not kept up with creating a better water supply,” Newman said. “We need to take the lead in fixing the problem now because it is only going to get worse.”
Sandra Kennedy, Democrat
By Kelly McGrath
Cronkite News Service
Democrat Sandra Kennedy said her experience as a restaurant owner focusing on customers would help her make decisions in regulating utilities and other businesses as a member of the Arizona Corporation.
“You can’t just pass on costs to your consumers,” said Kennedy, whose Kennedy Restaurants LLC operates a Phoenix-area Denny’s franchise. “You really have to find a way of bettering your business.”
Kennedy also served six years in the Arizona State House of Representatives beginning in 1987 and then six years in the state Senate.
“I understand how to work across the aisle to get things done,” she said.
Kennedy said her experience as a mother and a member of the Phoenix Union High School District board from 1990-1994 would make her a valuable member of the commission.
Kennedy, a Phoenix resident, is running for one the commission’s three open seats in tandem with Democrats Sam George and Paul Newman, forming what they call the “solar team.”
“I’m excited about the possibilities; it means that community centers and schools can get in on the solar revolution,” she said.
Kennedy said she supports the Corporation Commission’s requirement that utilities get 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025. In written responses to a questionnaire, she said alternative energy sources will mean sustainable economic opportunities for Arizona.
“Government has to set a clear policy and direction in this matter, so that industry and investors can be comfortable making long-term investments and decisions,” she wrote.
Kennedy said there are misconceptions about nuclear, including the idea that it is pollution-free.
She also said the Corporation Commission has provided too little oversight as utilities have passed along rising fossil-fuel costs to consumers.
Bob Stump, Republican
By Andrew J. Shainker
Cronkite News Service
Bob Stump, a Republican running for Corporation Commission, says an agreement in which Arizona would join other western states and some Canadian provinces to cut greenhouse gas emissions should involve the regulatory body and state lawmakers.
“Any agreement must include the input of the Corporation Commission and the Legislature, and any effective cap-and-trade system must operate on a national, not regional basis,” said Stump, who represents parts of Peoria and western metropolitan Phoenix in the Arizona State House of Representatives.
Stump, who answered questions via e-mail, said the Corporation Commission must be involved in any such agreement to make sure that utility rates don’t escalate to a degree that harms ratepayers.
Arizona, six other states and four Canadian provinces that are part of the Western Climate Initiative in September unveiled a plan to cut their greenhouse emissions by 2020 to 15 percent below 2005 levels.
While Stump said he supports the Corporation Commission’s requirement that Arizona utilities get 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025, he also said the state must focus on various sources.
“We need a diverse portfolio of energy options — fossil-based, nuclear and renewable — to meet our state’s growing demand for power,” Stump said.
Stump, who has served in the state House since 2002 and chairs the House Committee on Health, is a native of Honolulu and worked as a journalist before moving to Arizona in 1995.
Part of securing Arizona’s energy future, Stump said, is taking greater advantage of nuclear power.
“France produces 80 percent of its energy from nuclear — a cheap, emissions-free energy source,” Stump said. “By some estimates, 400 million tons of coal have been burned unnecessarily due to restrictions on the expansion of nuclear power.”
Barry Wong, Republican
By Megan Thomas
Cronkite News Service
Republican Barry Wong says the six months he has served on the Arizona Corporation Commission as an appointee by Gov. Janet Napolitano makes him uniquely qualified among those vying for three seats on the panel.
"I think my service on the commission gives me an advantage of understanding because I’ve been involved with every facet of commission work," said Wong, a lawyer who represented north-central Phoenix in the House of Representatives from 1993-2000.
Napolitano appointed Wong in July 2006 to fill the remainder of Republican Marc Spitzer’s term after Spitzer took a job with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Wong was in the majority when the commission voted to require Arizona utilities to get 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025.
Wong said his participation in hearings on matters such as utility rate increases and railroad regulation and his work with the commission’s securities division helped him recognize issues that need to be addressed.
"That experience on top of being a legislator, that Corporation Commission hands-on experience, gives me an advantage and a benefit that I can provide the citizens of this state as a public servant," Wong said.
Wong said he wants to build on the commission’s renewable-energy requirement by advancing a diverse range of renewable sources. However, he said coal, natural gas and nuclear power remain an important part of Arizona’s energy portfolio.
He said another major goal is combating investment fraud.
While he pledges to fight against excessive utility rate hikes, Wong said the commission’s current method for considering increases, which involves examining company financial and equipment records, works.
Comments
Jane wrote on Oct 17, 2008 5:10 PM:
BruceinAnthem wrote on Oct 17, 2008 12:53 PM:
The Tucson Weekly called George “sleazy.” The Phoenix New Times has discussed George’s “history of shady dealings.” The Tucson Citizen wrote that they were “unimpressed” by Kennedy because she “showed a dearth of knowledge on ACC issues.”
The Tucson Citizen wrote it was “troubled that [George] changed his name in 2004 from Sam Vagenas…As Vagenas, he helped get two pro-marijuana ballot issues passed in Arizona, though the Legislature later gutted them. State investigators also linked him to fake ‘internal memos’ circulated during the 2002 gubernatorial race, falsely claiming Janet Napolitano, as attorney general, covered up the Colorado City polygamy crisis…Two years ago, when he lost election to the Central Arizona Water Conservation District Board, Sam George sued election officials and fellow candidates to demand a recount. The election tally didn't change.”
According to the New Times, George’s third pro-dope initiative “would have freed medical marijuana users to deal drugs to kids – and actually required the Department of Public Safety to give out pot, for free.”
The choices are clear. "