Special interests won the day in the race for the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) in 2012, and the Arizona public got legally swindled.
Last week, it was revealed the Arizona and National Association of Realtors spent $186,000 supporting Republican ACC candidates Bob Stump, Susan Bitter-Smith and Bob Burns, who beat Democrats Paul Newman, Sandra Kennedy, and Marcia Busching on November 6th. The realtors funded two mailers targeting swing voters just days before Election Day.
In a clean elections contest where general election funds are limited to $137,811 per candidate, the realtor’s expenditure could have plausibly made up the deficit between the candidates (roughly 70,000 votes separated Democrats Newman and Kennedy from Susan Bitter-Smith).
The reason for the realtor’s intervention was simple. As Commissioners, Newman and Kennedy objected to the practice of granting free electric line extensions for homes constructed away from existing utility poles. Newman and Kennedy believed it unfair for the public-at-large to subsidize line extensions for poorly planned housing developments, increasing rates for everyone so that a few could get a sweet deal.
Those in the sustainability world would call the handout a “subsidy for sprawl”. Those in the economics world would call it interference in the marketplace.
It cannot be a good omen for our new Republican Commissioners that their support for a corporate handout was the issue that potentially raised them to office — an office whose purpose is to protect ratepayers from corporate abuse.
Will Greene
(Paul Newman’s Campaign Manager in 2012)
Tempe
Arizona Willie posted at 7:38 am on Fri, Dec 21, 2012.
Welcome to Arizona politics.
The U.S. is composed of 49 states and one corporatocracy -- Arizona.
The will of the people is irrelevant in Arizona.
Only corporate / business profits matter.
chatmandu002 posted at 8:31 am on Fri, Dec 21, 2012.
Will,
Sorry your left wing liberal/progressive/socialist democrat candidates didn't win. But the people have seen what happens when you let the liberal/progressive/socialist elements get in power. Devastating electric rate increases and more silly restrictions on power plants. The corporation commission should be eliminated or put under the control of the governor or legislature. They shouldn't have the power to approved rate increases without the approval of the legislature or the governor.
I'm sure your side will win sometime in the future. The liberal/progressive/socialists are leaving California because they have destroyed it. They are now moving to Arizona and bringing their liberal/progressive/socialist politics with them. Arizona will soon be a sanctuary state and become an open conduit for liberal/progressive/socialist programs just like the bankrupt state of California. Tucson is already there and Phoenix is close behind.
downtownresident posted at 2:56 pm on Fri, Dec 21, 2012.
Special interests and tons of out-of-state money didn't help the Pearce brothers.[beam]
Leon Ceniceros posted at 10:05 am on Sat, Dec 22, 2012.
Here we go again with the Democrat/Environmentalists/Socialists/Marxists/Commie Wanna-Be...."losers".....whinning about ..".Campaign Financing".
TALK ABOUT.........."PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULDN'T THROW STONES"...................OUT-OF-STATE UNIONS AND TRANSPORTATION AND CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES SPENT.............."MILLIONS OF DOLLARS" ON ...PROP 204...WHICH THE ARIZONA VOTERS SHOT DOWN BY A 2-TO-1 MAJORITY = 64%.
WHINNERS....THE 2012 ELECTION IS OVER...THE VOTES HAVE BEEN LONG COUNTED...THE RESULTS ARE OFFICIAL..........MOVE ON !!!!
chuckles3 posted at 9:45 pm on Sun, Dec 23, 2012.
Yes special interests helped us send 8 Repubs and 1 dem to congress...oh, wait no it was the "neutral" redistricting committee that sent 5 Dems and 4 Repubs to Congress from a solidly Red State. Nice job.