Beshear taps former Democratic lawmaker for Kentucky Public Service Commission
Gov. Andy Beshear has filled the third and final spot on the state’s all-important Public Service Commission with a former Democratic lawmaker from Eastern Kentucky.
John Will Stacy, of Morgan County, will join Public Service Commission Chair Angie Hatton and member Mary Pat Regan in deciding on critical questions like rate raises, company sales and more.
Stacy was appointed officially on Sep. 4, according to the state’s executive journal.
The commission is among the most important bodies whose members are appointed by the governor, as it regulates Kentucky’s water and utility providers both massive and small. It’s also charged with protecting Kentucky utility customers and vetting power generation plans, utility sales and rate hikes among other things.
The Public Service Commission regulates more than 1,500 utilities in total.
Stacy, 71, is a political stalwart. He served in the legislature for more than 20 years, from 1993 to 2005, representing a district in his pocket of Eastern Kentucky along Interstate-64. At one point, he was in Democratic House leadership alongside former House speaker Greg Stumbo and then-majority leader Rocky Adkins, who is now one of Beshear’s top advisors.
The politician also recently served a term as Morgan County Judge-Executive, a part of Stacy’s resume that Beshear said in a recent press conference made him uniquely fit for the role.
“John Will Stacy has been a business owner, he’s been a county judge-executive, (and) we believe that running a county is really good potential training and background,” Beshear said.
Beshear mentioned David Armstrong, a former chair of the commission who came to the role with experience as attorney general and then as mayor of Louisville, as an example of success transitioning from local government to the Public Service Commission.
“He’s also from an area of the state that needs representation on the PSC. I think overall, he’s fair. He understands that our state has energy needs that have to be met, and he also understands that the way that energy needs are provided is changing across the United States. So I believe he will be balanced and open and do a good job,” Beshear said.
The governor mentioned that he also took into consideration whether or not Stacy’s appointment would get confirmed. In 2022, the Senate did not confirm the appointments of two Beshear selections, Amy Cubbage and Marianne Butler, leaving the commission without a quorum.
Stacy replaces Kent Chandler, former chair of the commission. Chandler resigned from the Public Service Commission on the belief that Gov. Andy Beshear would not reappoint him to another term — that move disappointed attorneys who appear before the commission as well as consumer and environmental advocates.
Chandler is now a senior fellow at Washington-based think tank R Street’s energy and environmental policy program.
The new commissioner holds an undergraduate degree from Morehead State University and a law degree from Northern Kentucky University.
Stacy comes to the commission with some baggage from his previous tenure in Frankfort.
In the mid-2000s, Stacy helped authorize $13 million in the state budget for a project his employer managed, raising alarm among ethics watchdogs at the time.
According to previous Herald-Leader reporting, Stacy was employed by his alma mater Morehead State University for a period during his service as a legislator. After the president ended Stacy’s contract in 2001, Stacy put restrictive language into the state budget that limited Morehead’s use of its funds and campus facilities. School officials called it a vendetta. Ultimately, Morehead’s president resigned and was replaced; the restrictions were then lifted.
Later in his legislative career, Stacy supported a natural gas pipeline that drew strong pushback from affected landowners, known commonly as the Bluegrass Pipeline. Beshear represented the company pushing for the pipeline when he was a private practice attorney before taking office as attorney general in 2016.
Stacy’s term on the Public Service Commission is set to expire July 1, 2028.
