Arizona’s public utilities commission is bringing on a new pair of hands to deal with ethical and transparency issues.
A former attorney for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will fill a new executive level position at the Arizona Corporation Commission. Christopher Kempley will provide legal counsel regarding ethics, conflict of interest, Open Meeting law and deal with public records requests.
The hire is significant as the commission has been mired in controversy and under increasing public scrutiny. The chairman of the commission recently announced she would resign. Additionally, Commissioner Bob Stump is engaged in a fight with a Washington-based watchdog group— funded by clean energy interest— over text messages he sent to leaders of dark money groups and then corporation commission candidates Tom Forese and Doug Little.