Split decision

Seeing red

GOP candidates dominate the field for an open seat on the PSC.

Editor's note: Ed Roy, R-Lafayette, has since dropped out of the District 2 race for Public Service Commission.

If ever there were any doubts about the state of the Louisiana Democratic Party, consider the District 2 race for Public Service Commission.

Four of the six candidates are Republicans; just one is a Democrat. The district stretches west to Lafayette Parish, north to the Felicianas, south to Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes and east to encompass the northwestern portion of Livingston Parish. There is no incumbent in the race because outgoing Commissioner Jimmy Field of Baton Rouge is retiring when his term expires.

“It's a race with a whole lot of Republicans,” says Albert Samuels, an associate professor of political science at Southern University. “It used to be that Republicans were running against multiple Democrats, but now they're the majority. With this race, it has been flipped. We're watching a new narrative in Louisiana politics.”

Scott Angelle, R-Breaux Bridge, the former secretary of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources who also did a brief stint as lieutenant governor, is perhaps the highest-profile candidate. Also running is state legislator Erich Ponti, R-Baton Rouge, a general contractor.

The other Republicans in the race are Ed Roy, R-Lafayette, a private investigator and former television weatherman; and Sarah Holliday, R-Baton Rouge, an activist.

Also running are Greg Gaubert, a Thibodeaux innkeeper who claims no party; and Forest Wright, a New Orleans Democrat who once worked for the Alliance for Affordable Energy, a consumer group in New Orleans. There is no law preventing someone living outside the district from running for the office.

The race has attracted big bucks: As of August, candidates had reported a combined $634,000-plus in contributions.

Despite taking some heat for his prompt resignation from the Department of Natural Resources as the Assumption Parish sinkhole disaster began to unfold, Samuels says, Angelle remains the clear frontrunner in terms of name recognition, not to mention finances. His latest report indicated he started the year with $338,347 in the bank. Ponti, though, wasn't far behind financially; in August, he reported $280,011 in contributions. Roy was the next-closest candidate, with $15,763.

Candidates in the crowded field have yet to distinguish themselves on the issues. Perhaps the most volatile one the commission faces is Entergy's proposal to transfer functional control of its transmission facilities to a regional operator, potentially saving customers $575 million over a decade.

At a chamber of commerce forum in September, all insisted they would be champions for Louisiana consumers when it comes to energy costs, and all insisted they would consider lowering the return on equity—or the guaranteed profit—for electric companies. The PSC sets the rates for Louisiana utility customers.

However, at a Baton Rouge Press Club forum, Angelle and Ponti said they are taking campaign contributions from utility companies regulated by the PSC, while the remaining three candidates pledge not to do so.

Ponti has made a point of implying Angelle seeks the PSC seat only to propel himself into the governor's office, vowing that he himself won't run for another office while serving on the commission.

Samuels says the springboard claim could be valid, given that former Gov. Kathleen Blanco served on the public service commission before she became lieutenant governor and then governor. Says Samuels: “It can be a stepping stone for people to run for other things in the state.”

FIGHTING FOR FUNDS

Who's winning the fundraising game? According to the latest campaign finance reports, which were filed Oct. 9 and cover the reporting period from July 28 to Sept. 27, candidates' fortunes are all over the map.

Note: Amounts below reflect funds raised during the most recent reporting period and include loans, not just contributions.

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