Candidates Brian Matlock, Clara Pratte, and Jonathan Hill join PebbleCreek Democratic Club President Vicki Barber (second from left) at the club’s Feb. 4 meeting at the Tuscany Falls Ballroom.
J. Kirk Brown
An institution that was intended to be a guard dog protecting the interests of Arizona utility customers has become a lap dog for the utility industry it was intended to regulate. That was the message delivered at the Feb. 4 meeting of the PebbleCreek Democratic Club by two candidates running for positions on the five-member Arizona Corporation Commission.
Jonathan Hill is currently a mission planner at Arizona State University’s Mars Space Flight Facility. Johathan has a PhD in Geology and a degree in Aerospace Engineering. He believes his knowledge of geology and engineering will bring a scientific approach to Corporation Commission decision-making. Johathan is hoping to replace a current member of the Corporation Commission who is a former employee of a Commission-regulated utility.
Clara Pratte is a small business entrepreneur who wants to reverse the current Corporation Commission’s policies leaning heavily upon fossil fuels and away from cleaner and cheaper forms of energy production such as solar. She also wants to protect Arizona citizens, particularly seniors, from constantly rising utility rate increases and increase the availability of utility services to rural Arizona customers.
Also addressing the over 100 attendees of the meeting was Brian Matlock who is running for the elected position of Arizona Mine Inspector. Brian is a Mechanical Engineer by training and has provided professional advice to mining operations on every continent except Antarctica. Brian is also a Marine veteran. Arizona has 450 active mining operations and 100,000 abandoned mines all of which require routine inspections by the staff of the Arizona Mine Inspector. Brian wants to bring his world-wide expertise and experience in mining to this position to benefit the health and safety of Arizona citizens.