Valerie McMurtry D2

VALERIE M CMURTRY

CURRENT OCCUPATION: Retired Educator CAMPAIGN WEBSITE: www.mcmurtry4PSC.com

Arrow-Circle-Right Briefly introduce yourself. My name is Valerie McMurtry and I am running for the Public Service Commission, District 2. I am running because it is time to put the Public back in the PSC. The voter and ratepayer deserves someone who will put them before the shareholders of corporations.

The voter deserves someone who will show up at PSC meetings and speak up for the ratepayer who pays their utility, water, sewage and phone bills every month. Whether you rent or own, you pay for these services. It is time that voters choose someone who will represent them.

I will show up at meetings, stick up for ratepayers and stand up to the monopoly corporations and utilities who want to raise rates without justification for doing so. What has been happening for the past 3 1/2 years is wrong. It is time to put the Public back in the PSC and I intend to do just that.

Arrow-Circle-Right Would you approach your role in

this position as a policy influencer, advocating as such, or as a regulator, applying and enforcing

existing law? Please explain. My approach to the PSC would be to look at this agency as it exists and functions today, with the possibility of restructuring it. The PSC needs to be responsive to the ratepayer. There are certain issues, such as “pre-approval”, that need to be examined, questioned and possibly changed. If necessary I would work with the legislature to make these changes that are needed.

The PSC considers corporate utility requests for rate increases, pre-approval, or adjustments to the service provided to ratepayer. It is the function of the PSC to make decisions based on the information and details provided by the monopoly utility. The staff of the PSC provides research on the issues that come before it. All decisions should be in the best interest of the voter and ratepayer.

Arrow-Circle-Right Do you favor the creation of

an advocacy staff for the PSC (independent in action, but administratively tied), or to leave that responsibility to the Montana Consumer Council? Please explain.

I do not, at this time, see the necessity of additional staff. The PSC already has an incredible legal and research staff. For independent advocacy the Montana Consumer Council fill that need. Unless the MCC or PSC staff was not fulfilling their duty, I don’t think it is necessary for increased cost to the taxpayers of Montana.

The current PSC costs Montana taxpayer more than $600,000.

Arrow-Circle-Right Would you support alternative

dispute resolution practices over the traditional contested case process when such matters come before the PSC? Why or why not?

If there was a deadlock that could not be resolved, then I would be in favor of mediation, or a mutually agreed upon resolution process. PSC decisions should not result in contested cases because the number of commissioners is an odd number. So there will always be a tie breaker. stop