From Deseret News archives:
Consumer protection Committee director says she stands up to utilities
The 39-year-old single mom took a pay cut to come to Utah after being appointed in November by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to serve as director of the Committee of Consumer Services, a state organization charged with protecting the interests of consumers and small businesses in utility rate cases.
The director position could best be described as a lightning rod, where the pressures of monopoly utilities, angry consumers and political maneuvering are part of the daily routine.
But for Beck, a former resource planning analyst at Xcel Energy in Minnesota, the director position is a comfortable fit, similar to five years of work as a consumer advocate for the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
She views her role as an advocate, not simply as an administrator, yet acknowledges that the six-member committee under which she serves sets the direction and policy.
"This is taking my career back in a direction where I want to go, where I feel like I am making a difference," Beck said. "I was thrilled to move back into a position where I am working directly with the consumers."
Roger Ball, a former director of the committee who served in the position from 1997-2005, likens the job to the Cinderella of state government.
"Nobody wants you there except for consumers when rates go up," Ball said. "If you independently and vigorously represent the interests of consumers, the utilities hate it. If you don't do the job and roll over and just play the politics of it go along to get along the utilities will leave you alone, but ratepayers will suffer."
Beck stepped into the position after her predecessor, Leslie Reberg, served barely a year as director before quitting in 2006 to run for Salt Lake County recorder.
"It's a position where it's a balancing act, and you're responding to numerous constituencies, but at the end of the day you have to represent residential consumers," Reberg said. "That is a vital role, but a very complicated arena of utility regulation."
After being appointed in 2005 by Huntsman, Reberg, a former US WEST employee, was blasted by consumer advocates for her work on the utility side.
Comments
- Teen girl killed in auto accident 7:09 p.m.
- Plenty of H1N1 vaccine available 6:38 p.m.
- Obama orders 30,000-troop boost 6:37 p.m.
- 2 arrested in Roy double slaying 6:33 p.m.
- Working on new HIV/AIDS vaccine 6:32 p.m.
- BSA to host audiocast over Internet 5:47 p.m.
- Garbage trucks to trash teen drinking 5:47 p.m.
- Court seeks judicial candidates 5:29 p.m.
- Simple candies for the holidays 5:15 p.m.
- Latkes from frozen hash browns 5:14 p.m.
- 2 citations issued at Y.-U. game
- BYU says Hall incident resolved
- Max Hall: a fixture in rivalry lore
- 'Grandfamilies' a growing trend
- Witness: Mitchell wanted attention
- Mitchell called intelligent, controlling
- MWC '09 season in review
- Jazz win 6th in 7 games
- Jazz ready to be without Harpring
- Daughter: Mitchell fed me my pet
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
901 - Cougars beat Utes in overtime
482 - Hall reprimanded by MWC
401 - Max Hall issues apology
387 - Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal
343 - Utes won't respond to Hall
273 - BYU says Hall incident resolved
224 - 2 citations issued at Y.-U. game
152 - BYU is champion of the state
142 - Religion in politics is tiresome
127
There is no way Hall was POY.....the guy sucked in BIG games and opened the...
To: Been There, Done That Thank you for your service to our country. I...
To those of you that keep on defending Max because his family had beer...
Foster parents deal with stuff no grandparent would. Foster parents don't...
I didn't expect to like this game but it turns out to be big fun! Dragon Age...
just acting like children after a game. Thank goodness no one was seriously...
Probably because Max made up the statement about how his family was treated....
Hey! Don't forget to mention me! I'm the greatest coach that USC has...
May have decent bball talent but they aren't nearly as loaded as they were...
To the above who made a judgement about "bums". How would you describe the...



You can be the first to comment on this story.