Angela Speir, the self-described "people's commissioner" on the Georgia Public Service Commission, will not run for re-election this fall, Speir said Thursday.

"I feel called to serve in a different way," Speir said. "I want to help people and I want to work in an organization where the goals are compatible with that."

She said she did not have another job lined up, but that she wanted to work for a non-profit organization.

"I'm a little sad," she said. "My goofy self, I've got my Kleenex box with me all day. I look like Tammy Faye Baker at a Praise-a-Thon."

"This was not an easy decision," she said.

Speir joined the commission five-and-a-half years ago, in a surprise upset of longtime commissioner Lauren "Bubba" McDonald.

She ran her statewide race with virtually no campaign money or name recognition.

On the PSC, she quickly established a reputation as a consumer advocate, frequently voting with commissioner Robert Baker and against commissioners Stan Wise, Doug Everett and, until last year, David Burgess on issues including utility price hikes, renewable energy and ethics.

Throughout her tenure, she expressed severe discomfort with the way business was conducted at the PSC, particularly the interaction between commissioners and utility and other lobbyists.

Speir was the force behind the PSC decision this year to limit interaction between commissioners and those with business before the commission.

She initiated deliberations over what's called an "ex parte" rule intended to more closely align the commission's behavior to that of judges.

Speir said her frequent head-on clashes with commissioners Wise and Everett were not responsible for her decision.

"It's not about Doug, it's not about Stan, it's not about politics," she said.

"This has been a six-year tour of duty," she said.

"I've made a decision that this is not where I want to be in the next chapter of my life."