Benson PUC Pick Says He's Up To The Job

By Josh Rogers on Tuesday, October 7, 2003.

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The executive council is scheduled to take up the Governor Benson?s nomination of Graham Morrison to the public utilities commission tomorrow???If confirmed, Morrison, would join New Hampshire?s two other commissioners in regulating about 2 billion dollars worth of commerce

When Governor Benson tapped Graham Morrison to join the P-U-C he said all citizens would benefit if the state?s power, water, and telecommunications regulators were more responsive to the needs of industry?.Benson told reporters that Morrison could help bring about such a regulatory climate??and said Morrison would bring balance to a commission now top-heavy with lawyers.

"The requirements for the public utilities commission is someone that?s skilled in finance and engineering and an attorney.We currently has two attorneys, so we are flush when it comes to that skill.??So I was looking for someone who could meld the technology background and have some versatility with finance and engineering??So he happens to fit all of those metrics."

Morrison, who now leads the marketing efforts for a Massachusetts-based software company??..Says he was proud to be under consideration to hold what he describes as job of huge responsibility??

?The infrastructure that the PUC regulates will make or break this state in the future?.?

Graham Morrison?s has no history of civic involvement, but he shares a trait common to a number of newly minted state servants: he used to work for Benson at Cabletron?.. There for three years he directed business development?..Before that, ?Morrison worked in Connecticut as a customer support analyst for a telecom consulting firm?..and as a network operator for Blue Cross and Blue Shield and General electric?.By his own admission Morrison has never interacted with ?..utility regulators of any kind?He also lacks a college degree?? That Morrison has such gaps in his resume has raised some concern among watchers of the PUC??.The state employees union, for instance, worries that Morrison?s will have to negotiate a steep learning curve??The union also points out that without a college degree he would not be qualified to hold for many of the jobs he would supervise as commissioner??.Some who appear before the PUC on behalf of regulated industries also say Morrison?s lack of customary credentials raises questions.

?I would be concerned about that.?

Concord attorney Howard Moffett has represented electric industry clients at the commission.

?I don?t know Mr. Morrison. He may be very qualified in other respects, but on the face of it you would look for someone who has the kind of training in engineering or law or some other relevant discipline and the experience to bring an educated perspective to the work of the commission. And without knowing him, I would have a lot of questions if I knew that he had not completed a degree in college.?

When asked about the potential holes in his resume?..Morrison insists such concerns are not germane??..adding that he considers questioning his education ?adversarial.?

?These are my qualifications: I am an outstanding judge of options and an outstanding visionary.?

Morrison?s assures that if confirmed those aptitudes will be brought to bear on all matters before the commission??.with an eye towards a fundamental goal.

?Basically you must apply a level playing field as far as the utilities are concerned. And you always have to have the interest of the ratepayers -- of which I am one -- they always have to be kept in mind.?

Morrison?s other priorities include expanding opportunities for renewable energy?..speeding the pace with which the commission makes it?s decisions?.and upgrading the existing utility infrastructure??Morrison says achieving such goals will require a great deal of collaboration with the other commission members??Morrison says after meeting them meeting them he came away impressed??Even though to his mind they started out with a considerable handicap.

?Well the current commissioners are all lawyers, and lawyers are not generally considered to be fair adjudicators. And they do it for a dollar -- they don?t generally do it out of a higher meaning.?

The council is scheduled to take up the Morrison nomination on tomorrow??.He?s expected to be confirmed.