Indictment raises question of appointed Corporation Commission

Regional News

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The head of the Arizona Corporation Commission said today the indictment of a former member on bribery charges may make the case for appointing utility regulators instead of electing them.

Tom Forese noted that Gary Pierce is charged with accepting money through his wife from a utility executive in exchange for supporting two separate financial matters to benefit that family-owned company. Pierce, through an attorney, has said the indictment represents selected use of facts by the government.

Forese is not commenting about the charges which also have ensnared Pierce’s wife, Sherry, lobbyist Jim Norton, and George H. Johnson, manager of Johnson Utilities.

But he said the fact that prosecutors believe they have a case says something.

“I even think that this could be the strongest argument for having an appointed commission,” Forese said.

Any such change would require voter approval. And the earliest the Arizona Constitution could be amended is 2018.

Forese, however, said he’s not just going to wait around.