Republican ACC hopefuls clash and converge in Scottsdale

SCOTTSDALE - Of the seven Republican candidates running for the three open seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission, only one is going it alone: former State Rep. John Allen.

"It's like a triathalon running for statewide office," he said, "except you have to carry the bike while you're swimming."

Allen's position is perhaps the toughest among his competitors - the other six have grouped themselves into two sets of three, leaving Allen odd man out.

At the Lincoln Republican Women Club candidates forum last night in Scottsdale, hosted by Greg Patterson of EspressoPundit.com, Allen used humor and innovation to hold his own against the other six, who comprised two (mainly) united fronts.

There are the "engineers" on one team: Rick Fowlkes, Keith Swapp and Joseph Hobbs, a group of men culled from backgrounds in water reclamation, telecommunications and structural engineering, none of whom have held elected office before and all of whom are pushing or over 60.

As Hobbs said, speaking for his lineup, "We are completing our professional careers, with over 30 years experience each." He said holding seats on the ACC would be the capstone to their careers, and pressed the need for people knowledgeable in the technical aspects of the ACC's purview.

The other team is the "legsilators": Reps. Marian McClure (R-Tucson), Bob Robson (R-Chandler) and Bob Stump (R-Peoria). Two of them are termed out, and Stump, who isn't, admits it's "a bit of a gamble." Yet all are united in the belief of their superior qualification. 

McClure put it this way: "It is in the best interest of the state to send people to the Corporation Commission who have a proven ability in public policy."

McClure currently chairs the Public Institutions and Retirement Committee, while Stump is Chairman of the Health Committee and Robson is Speaker Pro Tempore, as well as Rules Committee Chairman. Their argument is that they know how to make things happen in the legislator, and that above all is the skill most needed on the ACC.

When it came to what they saw as the most important things to be accomplished on the Commission, the answers varied.

The engineers focused on keeping rates low for consumers while maintaining the profitability of Arizona's utilities. Hobbs decried the "archaic" regulatory policies in place, and vowed to institute "performance-based rate making," which he said would incentivize keeping costs down, as opposed to the system he said is in place now that bases rate increases on increased expenditures. Rick Fowlkes wants to see an end to the "monopolies" and an introduction of competing power suppliers, while Keith Swapp focused on renewable energy, including nuclear power.

Rep. Stump said he was also a major proponent of nuclear, declaring, "If France can do it, why can't we?" His teammates said they wanted to increase transparency, with Rep. Robson saying of the ACC's process, "People need to understand it," and Rep. McClure, who hails from Tucson, saying the Commission's hearings should travel north or south on occasion, "instead of having everyone have to come to Phoenix."

John Allen's proposal was judged by the candidates and audience alike to be the most original: making the utilities cut their advertising budgets.

"I don't go home and ask my kids if I can be their dad," said Allen, who pointed out that in the presence of a monopoly system, advertising is pointless.

Despite the majority of the candidates' positions in favor of renewable energies, with the notable exception of Rick Fowlkes who said it is "too expensive" to be viable, there was consensus on one issue: global warming.

When asked whether it was a "crisis" or a "fad," not one of the candidates claimed it was a cause for concern.

Marian McClure said there was "absolutely no scientific proof emissions are causing global warming," chalking up the rapid rise in the earth's mean temperature to a natural cycle. Jospeh Hobbs was even more blunt in his one word answer: "Ridiculous."

Finally, when asked whether they would be willing to raise rates, there was another consensus reached - the candidates didn't want to answer the question directly.

Bob Robson said "The worst thing we can do is say 'no,'" the implication being that the ACC might have to under certain circumstances and make a hypocite of the candidate who answered in the negative. That seemed to be the prevailing feeling - that it was a possibility - but the candidates chose to focus on what could be done to prevent such a rate increase.

Robson, for instance, said they'd "have to justify" any increase, with Marian McClure saying she couldn't answer that until she saw the balance sheet. However, she would say "every business has to have a profit."

Joseph Hobbs said "the onus is on [the utilities]" to justify raising rates, and Keith Swapp said it would really only be sanctioned if it was demonstrated a rate increase was based on the utility's "need to survive."

Allen was slightly more circumspect, saying while he is "not against raising rates," there would need to be "benchmarks" met before it was authorized.

"I want to see less dividends, and some sort of administrative tightening of the belt," he said.