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To: Editors, News Directors |
Date: January
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For: Immediate Release |
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Hatch-Miller Chosen by Peers to Lead ACC |
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PHOENIX – The Arizona Corporation Commission held its first official open meeting for 2005 on Tuesday, starting the new year with a very full agenda. The first order of business, however, was the nomination of a new Commission chairman. For the past two years, Marc Spitzer served as chairman.
Commissioner Bill Mundell nominated Jeff Hatch-Miller of Paradise Valley to lead the Commission saying “Commissioner Hatch-Miller is well-suited to the chairmanship due to his temperament, education and experience.”
Commissioners Spitzer, Mike Gleason and Kris Mayes unanimously approved Hatch-Miller’s nomination. The chairman presides over meetings, plays a leadership role in setting agendas and scheduling meetings and is responsible for setting the tone of Commission meetings. The chairman and Commissioners all have equal votes but the chair always casts the final vote. There is no specific term for the chairmanship but, generally, the Commissioners select a new chairman every two years.
Hatch-Miller first joined the panel of five Commissioners after his election in 2002. He took his oath of office, along with Commissioner Gleason, in January 2003. Hatch-Miller was re-elected in November 2004 to serve his second term on the Commission. He has worked with his colleagues to tackle tough regulatory issues on electricity, water, natural gas, telecommunication and enforcement actions to protect investors from securities fraud.
“I am very privileged and honored to accept the trust you have extended to me as your choice for Chairman,” Hatch-Miller told his colleagues. “I look forward to serving the people of Arizona, working with you and building upon the reputation of competency and effectiveness this Commission presently enjoys.”
“We face challenges and opportunities in our quest to ensure that our regulations and decisions help and do not hinder the robust and vibrant economy our citizens desire,” he added.
Hatch-Miller outlined several priorities for his term as chairman. They include:
The Commissioners and staff also took time to honor Marc Spitzer for his leadership over the past two years.
“No one can be successful without a good team,” Spitzer said. “The Commission staff and my colleagues make a good team. Over the past two years we’ve dealt with difficult issues. This was arguably the most turbulent year in history for the securities industry. We successfully resolved violations resulting in multi-million dollar settlements with some of the biggest names on Wall Street – settlements that ushered in a new era of accountability and protections for investors.”
“The telecommunications industry also experienced turbulence during the past two years,” Commissioner Mike Gleason mentioned. “Under Chairman Spitzer’s leadership, we’ve been able to tell Arizona consumers that they will have a modern, reliable telecommunications infrastructure while recognizing that the industry is in a state of evolution and, in some cases, turmoil.”
Commissioner Kris Mayes thanked Chairman Spitzer for his leadership and assistance during her “rookie year.” Mayes added that Hatch-Miller “brings to the chairmanship a legacy of experience dealing with complex utility issues both as a legislator and as a Commissioner since taking office in 2003.”
Prior to joining the Commission, Hatch-Miller was a state legislator. No stranger to committee leadership, he chaired the House Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee and co-chaired the Electric Industry Competition Study Committee and served on several others. In his first year at the Arizona House of Representatives, the National Republican Legislators’ Association honored Hatch-Miller as “Freshman Legislator of the Year.”
A native of Modesto, California, Hatch-Miller adopted Arizona as his home state in 1976. He and his wife, Anita, have twin sons who graduated college last year, Mark and Robert. Hatch-Miller holds a doctoral degree in education and has taught middle school, high school and college students.
Full biographies of all five Commissioners are available on the Commission’s website at www.cc.state.az.us.
(Backgrounder or Suggested Sidebar)
About the Arizona Corporation Commission: Few state offices affect the daily lives of Arizonans as much as the Arizona Corporation Commission. Most states have a Public Service Commission or a Public Utility Commission to regulate and set the rates for public gas, electric, water, sewer and telecommunication utilities. The Arizona Corporation Commission fulfills these duties but has additional responsibilities granted by the Arizona Constitution. The Commission also registers corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) doing business in Arizona, regulates the sale of securities or investments, registers investment advisers and sales representatives and enforces railroad and pipeline safety statutes. The Commission oversees railroad safety by enforcing federal and state safety statutes, conducting inspections and investigating crashes and derailments. Similarly, the Commission’s Pipeline Safety staff enforces state and federal statutes governing natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines and investigates violations of the Arizona Underground Facilities laws. By virtue of the Arizona Constitution, the Commissioners function in an executive capacity; they also adopt rules and regulations, thereby functioning in a legislative capacity; and they act in a judicial capacity by making decisions in contested matters.
The Commission is required by the Arizona Constitution to maintain its chief office in Phoenix and it is required by law to conduct monthly meetings. For the convenience of the public, Open Meeting agendas and Hearing Calendars are posted on the Commission website. For a schedule of Open Meetings, see http://www.cc.state.az.us/meetings/index.htm. For the calendar of upcoming or recent evidentiary hearings, click on http://www.cc.state.az.us/hearings/index.htm.
For more information about the Arizona Corporation Commission, please visit the agency’s main website at www.cc.state.az.us. For specific information about the Utilities Division or for help resolving a utility matter, the following shortcut will take you to Utilities website: http://www.cc.state.az.us/utility/index.htm. For educational information about saving and investing, visit the Securities Division’s investor education site at: http://www.azinvestor.gov.
Arizona Corporation Commission (Main Office)
Southern Arizona Office (Staffed to assist with
corporate filings, hearings and utility issues)
Important phone numbers:
Commissioners’ Offices: 602-542-2237. Listen Line (Live Audio Feed of Commission Open Meetings or Hearings): 602-542-0222. Toll-Free Listen Line (for callers in the 520 and 928 area codes): 800-250-4525. Utilities Division Consumer Services: 602-542-4251 or 800-222-7000.* Corporations Division Consumer Services: 602-542-3026 or 800-345-5819.* Securities Division Consumer Services: 602-542-4242 or 1-866-VERIFY-9.* Southern Arizona Office 520-628-6554 or 800-535-0148.*
*Toll free numbers work outside the Phoenix metro area or Tucson area respectively.
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