Gov. Nathan Deal said Tuesday he will likely tap longtime ally Tricia Pridemore to a Public Service Commission post that will soon be vacant.
“It is my inclination at this point to appoint Tricia Pridemore, but we’re not at that stage of the game yet,” he said. “We’ll wait and see when the actual opening occurs, but that is my inclination.”
The seat will be vacated by Stan Wise, the PSC chair, who said last week in a letter to Deal that he will step down on Feb. 20. The Cobb County resident had previously announced he won't be seeking re-election in 2018 after serving 23 years on the commission.
Democrat Doug Stoner, a former state senator, is among the likely candidates for the office.
Two Democrats have already announced challenges to Chuck Eaton, the only other incumbent on the five-member PSC whose term expires in 2018: Former state Rep. John Noel and energy consultant Lindy Miller.
Democrats hope to gain a foothold in the PSC, which regulates Georgia's utilities, by highlighting the panel's unanimous vote to allow construction to continue on two nuclear reactors at Georgia Power's embattled Plant Vogtle despite billions of dollars in cost overruns.
The supporters of the extension, including Wise, argued that the decision came down to the state’s need for more diversity in energy sources and the long-term economic development benefits.
Deal’s decision comes as little surprise. Pridemore was his choice to head the state Republican Party in 2011 and later became the head of the state’s workforce agency. She also launched an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 2014 in a race won by Republican Barry Loudermilk.
