Utility watchdog narrows its search

More than a month after Leslie Reberg announced she was stepping down as head of the state's utility watchdog group, no successor has been named.

But the Utah Committee of Consumer Services reported Tuesday that the group charged with finding Reberg's replacement has winnowed down its list of candidates and likely will start conducting interviews within the next week or so.

Dee Jay Hammon, chairman of the Committee of Consumer Services and a member of the search committee, said Tuesday that the search group had gone through a list of "30-plus" names, which included young people just out of college and others with extensive experience in the field.

"We pared it down . . . to approximately a third. We pared it down based on resumes, qualifications," Hammon told the Consumer Services Committee. "At the present time, we're going to be meeting shortly — within a week or so, we'll be meeting and invite these people for interviews."

The Committee of Consumer Services, established in 1977, is Utah's utility consumer advocate, representing residential, small-business and agricultural consumers in utility rate cases before the state's Public Service Commission.

The search committee includes chairwoman Francine Giani, executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce; Laura Nelson, energy adviser to Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.; consumer advocate Claire Geddes; Utah Sen. Karen Hale, D-Salt Lake; Rep. J. Stuart Adams, R-Layton; and Hammon.

Huntsman chose Reberg to lead the consumer services group after its longtime executive director, Roger Ball, was booted in March 2005. Her nomination set off something of a flap — including a round of messy hearings — with some consumer advocates concerned about Reberg's former ties with US WEST. She left the committee in late March to run for Salt Lake County recorder.

Consumer Services Committee member Franz S. Amussen said the path taken this time around "sounds like a lot better process."

"It's organized," Hammon responded, "And in my mind, it's totally apolitical. It's just, they're the people with the qualifications we want. It's not going to be hammered or ramrodded or anything like that. So from my point of view, it's much better than having these hearings in here. . . . That was not a pleasant experience."

No dates or deadlines were given to name the new staff director.

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