Last week, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger had affirmed a state court judge’s ruling that Daniel Blackman had failed to prove that he was a legal resident in the Public Service Commission district in which he is running in the Democratic primary. The Fulton County Superior Court has now issued an injunction against Raffensberger enforcing his decision. Blackman remains qualified to participate in the early voting now underway, through June 13. A formal hearing on the case scheduled for June 10. The primary voting date is June 17.
(A personal note from IndieDems’ Tom Barksdale: I have for years relied on a dedicated Georgia environmentalist, Patty Durand, to keep me up to date on environmental issues in general and the role of the Georgia Public Service Commission as a puppet for Georgia Power in particular. Patty has been associated with the Sierra Club and Sandy Springs Conservancy, and she spent several years as President & CEO of the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative. Patty ran as the Democratic candidate for PSC District 2 in 2022, but court battles forced repeated postponements, and the election never happened. Patty this year abandoned her candidacy and founded Georgians for Affordable Energy, a nonprofit watchdog organization. The following report relies heavily on her assessments.)
The long-postponed elections for the Georgia Public Service Commission are scheduled to take place this year, with PSC Districts 2 and 3 on the ballot. The Republican and Democratic primaries are due to occur on June 17. Early voting for the primaries begins May 27 and runs through June 13. The voting for each seat is state-wide, meaning, all Georgia voters are eligible to determine the make-up of the commission that determines the electricity rates charged by Georgia Power. The General election is scheduled for November 4.
PSC District 2
The incumbent Tim Echols is running. Critics depict Echols as little more than a puppet of Georgia Power, who has shown brazen disregard for Georgia customers. They hold him and the Republican majority responsible for six rate increases in just two years. This includes the whopping 23.7% increase to pay for the incompetently managed expansion of nuclear Plant Vogtle that led to huge cost increases and postponed completion dates.
Echols has a Republican primary opponent, Lee Muns. According to Durand, Lee has a welding and business background, worked at Plant Vogtle and other nuclear facilities, and has served on various boards such as the Georgia Leadership Council of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
Alicia Johnson is running unopposed in the District 2 Democratic primary, as the first step toward unseating Echols in November. On her web page, Johnson describes herself as:
“A transformational leader in human services and community development, with nearly 30 years of experience driving change that uplifts families and strengthens communities” and a “Savannah native who has helped thousands secure employment, expanded access to healthcare, and created economic opportunities for underserved Georgians.”
Johnson also stresses she is something no current Commissioner can say: she is a Georgia Power customer who knows firsthand what rising utility bills mean for real families, and she’s running to bring the voice of Georgians to the PSC. “The PSC is supposed to protect the people—but instead, it’s been protecting profits.”
PSC District 3
Incumbent Fitz Johnson has no Republican primary opponents in District 3, but there are four candidates running to win the Democratic primary and run against Johnson in November. Here are Patty Durand’s summary reports on the four Democrats:
Daniel Blackman is the only candidate to have run for a seat on the PSC before. Daniel’s last campaign came extremely close to winning and after losing in 2020. Blackman was appointed to serve as Regional Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Southeast Region. Blackman would make a great commissioner.
,Peter Hubbard is the only candidate who has been active at the Georgia Public Service Commission. Here is a video of him at the PSC advocating for lower bills. He is also an expert witness you can see his filed testimony here for Georgia Power’s current 2025 IRP proceeding. Hubbard is founder of Center for Energy Solutions and would make a great commissioner.
Robert Jones is the only candidate to have experience working at a state commission, having worked at the California state commission as a regulatory analyst. Jones has strong technical expertise, including utility financing and regulatory knowledge and would make a great commissioner.
Keisha Waites is a former 3-term GA State Representative who resigned in 2017 to run for chair of the Fulton County Commission but lost. Since Ms. Waites has no expertise in energy or power systems, I recommend one of the three others competing for this seat. The economics and regulation of monopoly utilities like Ga Power are complex matters and completely foreign to most people who are familiar with normal competitive businesses and markets. Specialized expertise is required, which is the reason state legislatures established commissions to regulate utilities.
For more information, click on the candidates’ names above. The Democrats need your contributions. Also, check out Patty’s newsletter at Georgiansforaffordableenergy.org
IndieDems Comment: The years-long absence of elections for the PSC means the PSC Commissioners making decisions about Georgians’ energy future—notably, their electricity rates—are totally lacking any public approval, much less a mandate, for those decisions. This year’s elections give Georgians the opportunity to restore PSC accountability. The need for cleaner energy is not a slogan of environmentalists. It’s a vital necessity for the future welfare, and lives, of the human race.
Putting Democrats in charge of the PSC is a critical necessity. We can no longer sit by and let Republicans deliver enormous profits to Georgia Power through massive rate increases and allow major increases in pollution resulting from relying on fossil fuels to meet the huge data center needs that are coming our way. Electing Democratic commissioners not only will result in lower bills and reduced carbon emission, it will make our children healthier.