Mohave Today

Arizona Public Service Co. (APS), its parent companies and related entities will not help fund the election campaigns of the electric utility's regulators. 

Chief Executive Officer Jeff Guldner told members of the Corporation Commission that the utility will no longer contribute to the campaigns, according to a report in the Arizona Capitol Times.

However, Guldner said he could not police or stop contributions from individual employees of the utility, its parent company, Pinnacle West and other related entities.

Members of the commission, including chairman Bob Burns, have previously received funds from APS and affiliates, the Arizona Capitol Times reported, which added that Burns previously asked Guldner to make the promise prior to him taking up his position.

"I do intend to make it clear to the executive team that I will be very frustrated, but I cannot prohibit (under federal election law) them to make contributions individually to commissioners,” Guldner told the commission.

Utility employees can contribute small amounts of money, but the chief executive said he did not want them helping any of the commissioners in their election campaigns.

The Arizona Capitol Times reported that three of the commissioners, Burns, Lea Marques Peterson and Boyd Dunn have previously accepted campaign contributions from APS and other utilities. They have to disclose this prior to any votes relating to those companies under a new code of ethics.

Dunn praised fellow commissioners for the introduction of the code, which he said was the most comprehensive code of ethics in this area of any commission in the country, if not any state agency, according to the Arizona Capitol Times.