Commissioners pick Forese as new chairman, while top staffers leave

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Regulators today picked Tom Forese as chair of the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Former gubernatorial staffer Ted Vogt also took over as executive director of the regulatory agency.

But before Forese’s election, Commissioner Bob Burns nominated Doug Little, the current chairman, for another term, praising Little’s efforts to improve employee morale and commending his work as the public face of the commission.

Little thanked Burns, but declined the nomination to serve as chairman again. Little then voted in favor of Forese, as Burns became the lone vote against the nomination.

Burns told the Arizona Capitol Times that the commission’s former executive director, Jodi Jerich, was forced out because she wouldn’t fire a commission employee that Forese wanted gone, a move which Burns criticized.

“If you took a survey of employees around here, morale is not very good,” he said.

Burns said key employees have decided to leave in the past few weeks. The commission’s legislative liaison, Lori Lustig, resigned, effective Friday, commission spokesman Angie Holdsworth confirmed.

Chris Kempley, an ethics attorney hired by the commission to largely handle public records requests, also resigned, effective today, Holdsworth confirmed.

Forese told the Capitol Times that Burns’ version of events is not true, though he admitted being part of the decision to replace the executive director.