Public's best bet for PSC? Powell

Unlike foe, he's no patsy for utilities

Georgia corporations boast many friends in state government -- friends who have ensured the state's consumer protection laws are among the weakest in the country and who have put the profits of business over the wallets of everyday Georgians.

Business and industry don't need any more friends in high places. It's Georgia consumers who need a pal or two.

That's why voters ought to elect Democrat Jim Powell as the District 4 Public Service commissioner in the Dec. 2 runoff election, for which early voting starts this week. Powell will best represent consumer's interest as one of the five PSC commissioners who determine how much money residents pay for heat and electricity and how much major utilities like Georgia Power can earn.

Many voters don't realize that the PSC is a real job that has real impact on their lives. Commissioners earn $116,452 a year and run statewide. Their decisions directly affect the budgets of every Georgian, a reality all the more important at a time when many households are struggling to pay their bills.

On background and experience, Powell is the far better candidate. He's a retired U.S. Department of Energy executive. His deep knowledge of energy issues will be vital since one of the PSC decisions that may come up during his tenure will be whether to approve multibillion-dollar investments by Georgia Power and others for nuclear plants.

While Powell earned more votes in the general election, he didn't win the requisite majority, so he's now in a showdown with Lauren "Bubba" McDonald. Six years ago, voters kicked McDonald off the PSC because he seldom met a rate increase he didn't like.

Last time he served on the PSC, McDonald was a Democrat. But that was before he was defeated by an unknown Republican reformer named Angela Speir. Speir decided not to seek re-election, so now McDonald's back and running as a Republican this time.

No matter what letter follows his name, McDonald is a bad choice to represent Georgia consumers. Even Speir, a longtime Republican, has endorsed Powell because of her concern that McDonald is in the pocket of the utility companies.

When she arrived at the PSC, Speir was taken aback by the chummy relations that McDonald had maintained with the utilities he was supposed to regulate. Alarmed, Speir called for an end to the chumminess, pushing for stronger ethics policies and a ban on the behind-closed-doors lobbying. On the commission, Speir was a courageous and often minority voice for the consumers and utility ratepayers in the state.

As you might imagine, the utility companies don't want another reformer whose No. 1 priority is consumers, which is why they are working covertly to stop Powell from winning. They want their old friend and reliable vote, McDonald.

And utility interests are willing to pay to make it happen.

Eighty percent of the $52,725 in campaign money McDonald amassed between late April and the July primary came from people and political action committees tied to the utilities the PSC regulates. He collected another $35,000 in the first three months of the general election, of which $16,000, or 46 percent, came from those with utility ties. Powell has not received utility-related contributions and says he won't accept them.

"If you look at Bubba McDonald's [financial] disclosure, it reads like a Who's Who list of utility lobbyists and lawyers," says Speir. "If Georgia consumers want to have a voice that is not beholden to the utilities, then I firmly believe that Jim Powell is the best candidate."

Don't let the utility companies tilt the PSC in their favor any more than it already is. Few political contests offer the stark contrast of this one. If Georgia consumers want their voices heard in debates about whether to raise utility bills, their choice has to be Jim Powell.

VOTE EARLY

Early voting begins this week. You can vote in the runoff even if you did not vote in the general election. To find early and advance voting locations in your county, contact your county registrar's office. Contact information can be found on the Secretary of State's Web site: http://www.sos.ga.gov/elections/. On election day, Dec. 2, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

-- Maureen Downey, for the editorial board (mdowney@ajc.com)