Gov. Kemp picks familiar face to replace PSC regulator who stepped down early

Veteran utility regulator Stan Wise is returning to the dais at the Georgia Public Service Commission, Gov. Brian Kemp said Friday afternoon.

Wise, a Republican who previously served on the commission for more than two decades, will replace Tricia Pridemore, who told Kemp earlier this week she will leave her position Sept. 4.

Wise will serve out the remainder of Pridemore’s term on the PSC, which expires Dec. 31. He will not, however, be on the ballot in November’s general election.

“We are … grateful for Stan’s willingness to return to the PSC, bringing decades of direct experience and wisdom with him,” Kemp said in a news release.

The Nov. 3 election will determine who will fill Pridemore’s seat for a subsequent six-year term and help decide control of the PSC. Earlier this year, Pridemore opted not to seek reelection to the PSC. Instead, she entered and lost in a crowded congressional primary to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk.

Republicans hold a narrow 3-2 edge on the powerful utility regulator after Democrats Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard ousted two GOP incumbents last fall.

This November, Republican Joshua Tolbert and Democrat Shelia Edwards will try to claim Pridemore’s post. In the other contest, Hubbard is running to retain his seat after serving a one-year term. He will face the Republican he defeated last fall, former Commissioner Fitz Johnson.

Wise was a commissioner from 1995 to 2018 and was the PSC’s chairperson at different times. He stepped down at the end of 2018, and Kemp appointed Pridemore to take his place.

Wise was a staunch supporter of Georgia Power’s nuclear reactor expansion at Plant Vogtle, the first reactors to be built from scratch in the U.S. in more than three decades.