Sedona AZ (August 5, 2016) – The following is a letter to the SedonaEye.com editor:
Who to Vote for in the Race for Arizona Corporation Commission
Information & Perspective by Warren Woodward
Sedona, Arizona ~ August 5, 2016
The ACC is tasked with the responsibility to protect AZ ratepayers by weighing the costs and benefits of all state utility requests.
Numerous people have asked me recently who to vote for in the race for the three vacant seats at the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC).
People have also sent me articles about incumbent ACC candidate Bob Burns, and also referenced his campaign claims about standing up to APS influence. In brief, don’t fall for Burns’ re-election ploy.
But first of all, understand that I am a registered Republican. I am not a doctrinaire Democrat out to bash Republicans.
That said, there is not a Republican ACC candidate worth voting for in either the primary or the general election. You of course are free to vote for whomever you want, but in the primary election I will not be voting for any of the Republicans. I will leave that portion of the primary ballot blank.
In the general election in November, I will not be voting for any ACC Republican candidates either. I will vote for the two Democrats, Tom Chabin and Bill Mundell. There are three seats open at the ACC this time, but I will be voting for only those two candidates (no one has to vote for three candidates just because there are three seats open).
ACC Commissioner Bob Burns support of APS vs the ratepayer lost this Republican’s 2016 ACC vote writes Warren Woodward of Sedona, AZ.
What about Bob?
Incumbent ACC candidate Bob Burns has attempted to present himself as a reformer, as someone who will stand up to APS. Coincident with the upcoming election and early primary ballots going out in the mail, Burns has just announced that he (with ACC/taxpayer funds, not his own) has hired an outside, independent lawyer (at $315/hr.) to investigate whether APS has undue influence at the ACC.
1) Anyone with half a brain knows the answer to that already and doesn’t need a $315 per hour “investigation” to figure it out.
2) Burns has been at the ACC since 2012 and he’s just getting around to this now?
3) Basically Burns, a career politician since 1989, is using taxpayer money to fund a re-election publicity stunt.
4) In violation of conflict of interest law, Burns was a lobbyist for companies he regulates at the ACC. I totally nailed him on it but the corrupt AZ Supreme Court declined to act on my filing. For that conflict of interest issue alone Burns does not deserve to be returned to office.
5) In two ACC issues I have followed closely and actively participated in, “smart” meters and the CenturyLink “facility relocation” add-on fee, Burns sided with corporate, not ratepayers, despite huge public outcries on both issues. He voted in favor of the undeserved CenturyLink fee, and he voted to “extort” a fee from ratepayers not wanting a “smart” meter.
Indeed, on May 1, 2013, Burns wrote an opinion piece in the Sedona Red Rock News parroting the APS “smart” meter line and valuing money over health and privacy. Here’s an excerpt of what I wrote him in reply back then:
Amazingly, you reveal yourself to be more concerned about APS’s bottom line than with people’s health and privacy. In your article you mention a meeting you attended in Sedona in which people expressed health and privacy concerns regarding “smart” meters. Yet your response is that “… perhaps an important fact is getting lost in the discussion – namely, that the digital meters represent a significant cost savings to the utility, a savings, that, in turn, gets passed on to its customers.”
“Significant cost savings”? Do tell us exactly how much ratepayers will save per month? Substantiate your claim. Show us some numbers based on real life, not APS propaganda. If the cost savings are “significant” as you claim, then it should be easy for you to tell us specifically.
Several times since I wrote that in 2013 I challenged Burns to show everyone the savings he said would be “passed on” to customers. Of course I never heard from him because there are no savings and never will be. The entire “smart” grid is huge boondoggle. Higher rates are what gets “passed on” wherever it’s installed, and Arizona is no exception now that APS is asking for an 8% rate hike in their pending rate case.
Turn Burns out. He’s burned ratepayers enough already.
Read www.SedonaEye.com for daily news and interactive views!
Missing links:
Tom Chabin: http://www.tomchabin.com/
Bill Mundell: http://www.billmundell.org/
Burns ACC Usurper Case Taken to AZ Supreme Court: https://sedonaeye.com/burns-acc-usurper-case-taken-to-az-supreme-court/
May 7, 2013 letter to Bob Burns: http://images.edocket.azcc.gov/docketpdf/0000144752.pdf
Thank you Warren for this reminder. Perfect timing! Appreciate it!!
Ad popped up on my email. It said Bob Burns fighting for 10K solar jobs for AZ. How can he say that when he’s trying to shut solar installers and solar users down? Who’s paying for the ad? It’s a group name not Burns. You’ve shown Burns anti solar. What gives? You wrong, Burns right?
@ Greg, Cornville — I have not shown Burns to be anti-solar. My article deals with other issues that in my opinion make him unworthy of office. I have little idea where he’s at specifically on the solar issue. I do know that Solar City has been spending major money to help elect him.
OK
You can do as you please with your ballot but with mine, I will maximize the effectiveness of my vote. It is most likely that the three Commissioners elected will be Republicans. Republicans used to have the sense to vote for Democratic candidates to the ACC as a way to safeguard themselves from Commissioners who would rubber-stamp rate increases in the cases that came before them. Those days have long since past. I am a registered Independent and will be pulling a Republican ballot in the upcoming primary election. I don’t generally lean Democratic (have only voted for three DEMS in my decades of consistent voting history) but will not hesitate to vote for a DEM candidate if they are the best option on the ballot. Voters have a very important decision to make regarding the candidates on the Republican ballot as they are vastly different in qualifications and political positions. Here is how I will be voting in the Primary and General elections for the ACC seats (in order of most favorable to least.
1 Dunn, Boyd – I believe he is the most qualified of the non-incumbent candidates and do hope that the impartiality that he was required to have as a judge will transfer to a seat on the ACC. I recommend viewing his website for more info about him.
2. Burns, Robert “Bob” – I do also have concerns about his recent concerns regarding APS funding candidates through “Dark Money” funded PACS. I agree that this could very well be an election-year ploy but also have to bear in mind that the past election (2014) is when this really became a glaring issue. He is the only current Commissioner speaking out about it and actually doing something about it. I also do not believe that he is or has been the worst of the Commissioners in recent years and is certainly not the worst of the Republicans running in this race. I will give him my vote to proceed to the General and if he does I will make a determination based on all available candidates for the ACC. If Burns does retain his seat on the ACC and doesn’t follow through with holding APS accountable as a public utility, then shame on him and then shame on me for giving him the chance to retain his seat..
3. Gray, Rick – This is where I lose any excitement that could be had in this very unexciting ACC race of Republican candidates. Gray only gets my vote because, in my opinion, he is just slightly better than the two other candidates who I feel are utterly deplorable. Gray gets my vote because he is not Al Melvin who has in the past spoke of, essentially turning AZ into a nuclear waste storage facility and has pipe-dream notions of a water de-sal plant in the Sea of Cortez and a pipeline to AZ as an answer to AZ’s water issues (there are many other realistic, more economical ideas that don’t require federal agreement with Mexico, state agreements and that are not as bad for the environment as this idea that he supports). And as bad as I think Al Melvin is, I think the worst of the bunch is Andy Tobin. I have lived in LD1 while he was in the legislature and “represented” our district and the state. However, I believe that Andy Tobin only represented himself and special interest groups. While he was in the House, Prescott had a growing problems with unregulated group homes catering to drug addicts. The problem festered out of control and is just now starting to be addressed by Rep. Noel Campbell. Tobin and the rest of the Prescott delegation allowed it to occur and became a very big problem. Since Tobin’s failed bid as US REP in CD1 (thanks goodness!), he has been appointed to multiple positions in state government (I believe 5), seemingly not being a good fit in any of them and the latest was an appointment to the ACC where he is now vying to retain his appointed seat. It is time for Tobin to return to the private sector and stop catering to special interests groups.
As for the General election: I will be voting for the two Democratic (Chabin and Mundell (an ex-Republican)) candidates as my number 1 and 2 votes. Both are qualified and are sorely needed on the Board. I do hope that I will have the option of voting for Boyd Dunn for the third available seat but will pick from the above Rep candidates that makes it to the General that I liked the best.
I suggest that everyone that is voting in the Republican primary to make a choice and vote for the three candidates that they feel re most qualified. It is very likely that this race will be determined in the Primary election and for that reason alone, you should not throw away your vote and your voice.
Happy voting in this dumpster-fire of an election-year that we are having, folks!
The corporate commission is a joke and sure doesn’t represent the public interest anymore and am not thrilled by those running to fill the 3 seats. As far as solar to me it is a joke. If solar was cost effective they wouldn’t have needed fed, state and rate payer subsidies. Before all this started you had to pay a higher rate for what they called green energy. Now that the corporate commission forced APS to accept this inefficient energy the cost of electricity is going up. Want proof just look at how California rate payers god hit is the pocket book. They also found out places like Phx. and Tuscon are too hot for solar so they are not putting cooling tubes in trying to keep the solar panels cool enough to be more efficient.
Couldn’t bring myself to vote for any Republican in the primary early voting, regret not reading comment until after sent ballot back or would have voted for Dunn.
Results Last Updated: August 30, 2016 23:12:48 (not final)
Corporation Commissioner (REP)
View More
4 Year Term | Elect 3
Choice
Votes
Percent
BURNS, ROBERT “BOB”
216,856
23.93%
TOBIN, ANDY
209,941
23.17%
DUNN, BOYD
174,394
19.24%
GRAY, RICK
162,843
17.97%
CORPORATION COMMISSIONER
(DEMOCRATIC PARTY)
Number of Precincts
45
Precincts Reporting
44
Vote For 3
CHABIN, TOM
7,971
49.32%
MUNDELL, WILLIAM “BILL”
7,825
48.42%
Write-In
366
2.26%
16,162
Total Votes
97.78%