ATLANTA - Public Service Commissioners Stan Wise and Chuck Eaton are both facing challengers in the coming Republican primary on July 31.<br />
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Wise, 60, of Marietta has served on the commission since 1995 and is a past chairman of the five-member board, which regulates how much consumers pay utilities. His opponent in the GOP primary is Pam Davidson, 49, an energy consultant from Douglasville.<br />
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The race for the District 5 seat has included numerous accusations on both sides. Davidson has called Wise an insider whose major campaign donors are those affiliated with utility companies. She has pledged not to accept political contributions from employees of regulated utilities.<br />
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"Unfortunately, this behavior results in higher rates for Georgians," Davidson said. "He serves in a regulatory position but compromises consumers by looking after utility companies' interests first."<br />
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Davidson also said Wise cast the deciding vote last month to let Georgia Power avoid $3.2 million in damages caused by 2011 service disruptions at the Plant Vogtle and Plant Hatch nuclear generation facilities.<br />
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Wise said Davidson is misrepresenting the facts, that he was among three people who voted and that the disputed costs were a small part of a larger vote by the commission to approve $567 million in fuel rate reductions.<br />
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"While two of the commissioners took issue with whether $3.2 million more in disputed costs should have been included as part of the settlement, it would have been foolish from a legal standpoint to throw out the settlement and place at risk $567 million in guaranteed annual fuel cost reductions, especially when the legal standard being applied would not have justified the additional $3.2 million cut," Wise said after the vote.<br />
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Wise has also seized on questions about Davidson's university degrees and gaps on her personal finance disclosures. Davidson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month that she completed her coursework for a bachelor's degree but never received it because of a "glitch." She told the newspaper that a client's error resulted in her being listed as having a master's degree.<br />
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Davidson also filed an amended financial disclosure to list past due taxes and current debts. Davidson told the newspaper she did not initially include the debts because her ex-husband is responsible for paying them.<br />
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In terms of campaign cash, Wise has the clear advantage with $112,863 on hand at the end of June compared to $465 for Wise, according to state records.<br />
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No Democrat is on the ballot for that seat, so the winner of the Republican primary will be unopposed in the November election.<br />
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PSC commissioners must live in one of five state districts, but all five jobs are filled through statewide elections. Commissioners serve six-year terms.<br />
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The District 3 race features Chuck Eaton, who has served on the commission since 2006, and Matt Reid, 56, a sales engineer from Decatur.<br />
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Eaton, 43, of Atlanta, said he is running for re-election because the commission needs his continued leadership.<br />
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He cited the PSC's approval of the Georgia Power rate reduction, designed to reduce residential customers' rates approximately $8 per month during the summer, as proof that he's a good steward of consumer interests.<br />
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He said his record includes other accomplishments, too, like working to help attain federal approval to build the first nuclear reactor in the U.S. in 30 years. The two reactors at Plant Vogtle are expected to cost $14 billion.<br />
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"Our clean energy policy leads the nation in stressing lower rates and energy independence, and it should further improve with two nuclear reactors in the works," Eaton said. "We've also taken advantage of lower natural gas prices by approving new natural gas plants."<br />
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Reid has sought to draw a distinction with Eaton by pushing for less regulation by the commission to increase competition in the private sector.<br />
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"That is one way we can produce jobs for Georgians, by encouraging expansion and creation of careers in electric, plumbing, roofing and so many more fields," Reid said.<br />
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As of June 30, Eaton had $112,492 in the bank for his bid while Reid had $5,086, according to state records. The winner will face Democrat Stephen Oppenheimer in November. Oppenheimer, 57, of Atlanta is running unopposed in the primary.<br />
