By Daniel Stefanski |
The Arizona Corporation Commission is now entirely under Republican leadership.
On Monday, Lea Márquez Peterson, Rachel Walden, and Rene Lopez were sworn into office at the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), giving Republicans control of all five positions on the state agency. Peterson returned to office, while Walden and Lopez entered this position for the first time.
During the inaugural meeting of the new year, first-term Commissioner Kevin Thompson was voted as chairman of the ACC. Nick Myers became (what appears to be) the first-ever vice chair of the ACC.
In an exclusive comment to AZ Free News, Thompson said, “During our campaign, Commissioner Myers and I often spoke on the trail about our objectives once elected. We expected it to take our full four-year term, but instead we accomplished our goals within the first two years of office.”
Thompson added, “Looking forward to serving as Chairman, I’m confident we will be able to build upon our recent successes with this talented and motivated group of Commissioners. As Chair, my focus is going to be on ensuring our collective efforts are always pushing Arizona forward, making the Commission more efficient and responsive to the public, and never losing sight of our duties to ratepayers and the trust voters have placed in us.”
Peterson posted to her X account about her first day of this new term of office, saying, “I am honored to serving a second term at the Arizona Corporation Commission! Thank you to Chief Justice Timmer for conducting my oath of office. I’m looking forward to serving with Nick Myers, Kevin Thompson, Rachel Walden, and Rene Lopez!
Nick Myers said, “As best we can tell, the Arizona Corporation Commission has never had a Vice-Chairman position. Today we made history… Again. After I nominated Commissioner Kevin Thompson as the new chairman, he nominated me as the very first Vice-Chairman!”
Rachel Walden wrote, “It’s official! Thank you to the Commission staff for organizing today’s swearing in ceremony and agenda. Thank you to my friends and family for attending! And a massive thank you, Arizona! It’s an honor to go to work for you.”
All five commissioners are excited about their upcoming work at the ACC over the next two years – even in a divided state government with a Democrat as Governor and Republicans maintaining control of the Arizona Legislature. In his remarks following his unanimous election as chairman of the ACC, Thompson said, “I want to continue to support this Agency and build upon a culture of success and further ensure the Commission is a place the brightest and best want to work. Where we can all be excited to step foot in this building and be proud of what we do to ensure Arizona remains a great place for our children and grandchildren and businesses for decades to come.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
