Ryan Randazzo

The Republic | azcentral.com

Bill Mundell and Tom Chabin launched their campaign Thursday for Corporation Commission

Mundell is an attorney and a former lawmaker and commissioner

Chabin is a former county supervisor and lawmaker

Two Democrats launched their campaigns for the Arizona Corporation Commission on Thursday, giving speeches that made it sound as though they are running against the state's largest utility, not Republicans.

Former lawmakers Bill Mundell and Tom Chabin said they will aim to restore integrity at the Corporation Commission by forcing Arizona Public Service Co. to stay out of elections.

APS is widely believed to have contributed to the $3.2 million in anonymous "dark money" that independent political groups spent in 2014 helping Republicans Tom Forese and Doug Little win election to the board that regulates utilities.

"APS executives are using your money to elect the commissioners they want," said Chabin, a former Coconino County Supervisor and state lawmaker from 2007-12.

The five, elected Corporation Commissioners oversee rates for regulated utilities such as APS and Tucson Electric Power, as well as small water companies and telecommunications providers, in addition to enforcing securities regulations and overseeing railroad crossings.

Mundell said the election is important because APS will be seeking a rate increase this year to be decided upon by the regulators.

"Who do you think (the regulators) will listen to?" Mundell said. "The APS executives who they regularly text with? Who they go to country clubs and dine with?"

Mundell was referring to a whistleblower letter from a commission employee that surfaced last year detailing lunch meetings one former commissioner, Gary Pierce, had with the CEO of APS, as well as an ongoing campaign by a clean-energy group that revealed another commissioner, Bob Stump, texts often with people with business at the commission, including people at APS.

Chabin and Mundell held a small press event at a downtown Phoenix park near a utility substation.

"The APS of the past that built this substation ... had the integrity to trust Arizona voters and never interfered with Corporation Commission campaigns," Chabin said. "Today, APS doesn't trust voters."

When Mundell served on the Corporation Commission from 1999 to 2008, he was first appointed and later elected as a Republican. But he changed his party affiliation, he said, out of frustration with the proceedings at the commission since he has left.

Mundell said that given APS' apparent participation in the 2014 elections, which the utility has not denied, he expects APS to target him and Chabin.

"Make no mistake about it, this is a David and Goliath battle," he said.

Three of the five seats are up for election this year, though only two Democrats have announced candidacies, giving the party no chance of taking a majority even if Mundell and Chabin win election. Mundell said he has not spoken with any other Democrats about running.

At least four Republicans will run.

Commissioner Robert Burns' term is expiring and he is running for re-election in 2016. Commissioner Bob Stump's term is ending and he is termed out. Also, the term of Susan Bitter Smith is ending. Bitter Smith resigned last month amid a conflict-of-interest challenge, and former lawmaker Andy Tobin was appointed by Gov. Doug Ducey to replace her. Tobin has not committed to running for the seat beyond this year.

Other Republicans who have formed committees to run include former state Sen. Al Melvin of Tucson, Rep. Rick Gray of Sun City, and Gilbert Town Council member Eddie Cook.