Infighting not hurting PSC mission

Wednesday, Feb. 5, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Infighting on the five-member state Public Service Commission may be hurting staff morale but it has not diminished the ability of the commission to accomplish its mission, an independent study says.

And the National Regulatory Research Institute, which conducted the $19,500 study released Tuesday, said Chairman John Mendoza "has worked hard to minimize the level of conflict."

This is the second study of the organization and functioning of the commission that regulates public utilities and is moving into a new era when there will be competition among electric and other utilities.

The commission paid $159,000 to Synergy Consulting Inc., to conduct a similar study and then the National Regulatory Research Institute was hired to do a followup.

Commissioner Donald Soderberg said some commissioners were not happy with the first study. But he said the results of the new report validate the first survey.

"Both reports talk about the need for more cohesive chain of command .. clean leadership and management of the agency," Soderberg said. "This may require a legislative solution."

The report says the commission chairman should be the administrative head of the agency. It said the commission is "far from paralyzed due to the lack of clear, centralized administrative authority," but it should be clarified who's the boss, rather than having five heads.

The commission last year was wracked by disagreements between Mendoza and Commissioner Galen Denio on one side and Commissioners Judy Sheldrew and Tim Hay on the other. The research institute said, "If disagreements among commissioners have been personalized or taken beyond the robust articulation of regulatory philosophy, they have not impacted the ability of the PSC to accomplish its mission.

"They have, however, made the environment uncomfortable for staff. Staff expressed the theme that disagreements among commissioners were 'difficult to watch.' Gratuitous, open controversy can be hurtful to the organization."