2 finalists named for Utah utility watchdog

Two names have been forwarded to Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. as finalists for the position of director of the Utah Committee of Consumer Services.

They are Michele Beck, a former Utahn and utility professional from the Midwest, and Stephen Thompson, a Utah businessman and member of the Logan City Council.

Both candidates are expected to meet with Huntsman next week, according to a press release from the Utah Department of Commerce.

The latest names to be sent forward come after Huntsman last month rejected four finalists competing for the position.

The director position has been vacant since March, when Leslie Reberg announced her decision to leave the job to run for Salt Lake County recorder.

Claire Geddes, a member of the search committee, said Beck and Thompson are both strong candidates, and she was impressed with their responses to questions.

"But my concern is it is hard to make a recommendation when you have had one short interview," Geddes said. "I would like to talk at a greater length with both of them.

"This is such an important job. I want to make sure that we've got someone that we can be comfortable with and have someone who is tenacious and who can fight for consumers. The committee is our last line of defense in rising utility rates."

Geddes said she still prefers Sue Ashdown, one of the four previously rejected finalists. Ashdown did reapply for the position, but the search committee decided against forwarding her name to the governor.

Beck and Thompson were the top two candidates chosen from among about 10 finalists by a six-member search committee, said Geddes, who added that it is likely a director will be in place by the end of the year.

Dee Jay Hammon, chairman of the consumer committee and also a member of the search committee, said in a prepared statement that the search committee has given unanimous support to Beck and Thompson.

That is in contrast to the last finalists. At the time their names were forwarded, Geddes threatened to launch a public campaign opposing Reed Warnick, who was supported by a majority of the search committee, if he was appointed by the governor.

The Committee of Consumer Services was created by the Utah Legislature in 1977 and is charged with protecting the interests of consumers and small businesses in utility rate cases.

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E-mail: danderton@desnews.com