Patty Durand, the Consumer’s Advocate

Welcome new subscribers. This is a bi-monthly newsletter about Georgia Power gamesmanship that harms customers, the complicity of commissioners and staff at the Georgia Public Service Commission in that harm, and what you can do about it.

First, I want to give what some of you may feel is bad news and that is I have decided not to run for a seat on the Georgia Public Service Commission. I don’t have to actually make that decision until April, and can change my mind until then, because that’s when all candidates must officially qualify. But the preliminary decision I’m making is that I will not run, and here’s why.  But first, a recap: in 2021 I left my job as President of the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative, after a great 10 year run. I was told by an important political ally that I need about 18 months to run a decent statewide campaign – and when I’m on new ground I always listen to advice – so that’s what I did. I was going to give 18 months of my time to run the best campaign that I possibly could and my plan was to unseat Commissioner Tim Echols in the 2022 midterm elections. I wanted him gone in particular after learning he was a con man, watching him vote for a rate plan that targeted and harmed people living in small dwellings who tend to be young and just starting out, or poor people living in modest homes, while arguing with me that the commission didn’t pass that rate plan, then agreeing it did but arguing it didn’t harm people in small dwellings, then finally agreeing it did that too.

I was furious at the commission because I had presented research of harm to low income people during hearings, which they all ignored, but I was furious at Echols in particular for reasons I’ve explained in other newsletters.

But anyway, less then 3 months from the November 2022 election date, the PSC election was cancelled by a federal judge when he ruled in favor of the plaintiffs that statewide elections for district PSC seats disenfranchises Black voters. PSC seats are divided into five equally weighted [by population] districts as seen here.

It’s hard to imagine that the population in District 3, that small yellow set of counties, is the same as all the counties in District 1, those grey counties in the bottom half of the state, but that’s what it is.

Anyway, state officials appealed the federal judge’s ruling and a federal appeals court overturned the initial ruling, thus ensuring continuing 100% victory for Republicans to win PSC seats, despite that 40% of Georgia voters are Democrat, 40% are Republican, and 20% are independent or libertarian or whatever else, according to Pew research.

And we know that statewide elections for district-wide seats discriminates against Black voters who tend to vote in high numbers for Democrats. Everyone knows it. That’s why statewide voting for district seats is a phenomenon seen only in the South with its long legacy of racial discrimination in voting. This is on display at the Atlanta History Center Midtown:

Did the plaintiffs appeal the Court of Appeals ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court? Yes they did. You know the result. No can do.

Then, through judicial and political gamesmanship, PSC elections were postponed another year keeping Echols in office without an election for an insane nine years. And keeping Fitz Johnson in office for four years without ever having been elected by voters, while voting regularly against the public interest and having no interest or knowledge about energy or complicated regulatory proceedings. His qualification? He donated to Governor Kemp. That it. The disrespect to the people of Georgia through his particular participation on the commission is breathtaking.

Anyway, these two commission seats are finally before voters: the primary is June 17th and the general election November 4th, 2025.

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