Brenda Burns

Brenda Burns

Burns, Brenda (Republican)

Phone: (480) 948-7799
Email: brenda@brendaburns2010.com
Website: www.BrendaBurns2010.com
7424 E. McLellan Ln., Scottsdale, AZ 85250

Age: 59 (11/22/50, LaGrange, Georgia).

Arizona since: 1969.

Occupation: Full time candidate; licensed real estate agent since 2003; Brenda Burns Consulting, LLC, 2004-08; member, Arizona State Legislature, 1987-02. Marital: Married (Bob Isbell, retired).

Children: 6.

Religious preference: Christian.

Education: Attended college.

Political experience: Precinct committeeman; past president, Republican Women’s Club; past deputy registrar; AZ Senate, 1995-02 (president, 1997-00); AZ House, 1987-94 (majority leader, 1993, 1994).

Memberships have included: Former board member, American Legislative Exchange Council, national chair, 1999; former board member, Faith House Domestic Violence Shelters; NRA; former board member, AZ Baptist Children’s Services.

Interests: Family, public policy, hiking, keeping active, travel.

Issues:

Political influence: There are two presidents who have been most impactful to me. Our third President, Thomas Jefferson and our 40th President, Ronald Reagan. Both supported states rights and a limited federal government. Reagan focused on federalism, free markets and supply side economics were just a few of the notable ideals he shared with America.

Top priority: We need to streamline the functions of the commission, reducing regulatory lag and increasing the visibility of the commission’s actions. Addressing Arizona’s energy infrastructure needs is also a top priority. As a commissioner I will work with the utilities to ensure that they have an appropriate balance of generating resources to meet their customer’s needs and that they have access and availability to transmit that power over high voltage transmission lines.

Renewable energy: I support the goals outlined in the Renewable Energy Standard. As is evidenced by changes and exceptions that have already been made, the rules towards the goals and the details on implementation should not be static as we respond to market conditions and other factors. I believe that it is necessary to evaluate programs and policies like the Renewable Energy Standard on a frequent basis and make adjustments as necessary. As a commissioner, I will analyze the costs associated with the program, the economic and environmental impacts of renewable energy and how the affected utilities are meeting the targets prescribed in the Renewable Energy Standard.

Privatization:  There are occasionally efforts to expand the reach of the ACC, but the Arizona Constitution appropriately limits the jurisdiction of the commission. Telecommunications is an area where much of the industry (Internet, broadband, cell phones) lies outside of the jurisdiction of the commission. As the telecommunications is largely competitive, the ACC should relax and streamline regulations as appropriate. Another issue I hear about occasionally is the confusion created due to business filings being split between the Secretary of State and the ACC. Consideration could be given to putting this responsibility in the same place (either Secretary of State or ACC). We could also consider finding electronic pathways to link the two agencies in order to better inform the public, or other methods to help eliminate this confusion.

Control costs: As a commissioner, it will be my goal to take a long-term outlook for Arizona’s economic future when assessing energy sources. My job will be to balance the needs of the regulated company with what is in the best interest of the consumer. I will look for ways to streamline the processes at the ACC and other options, such as rate designs that promote greater energy efficiency to keep rates as low as possible. Additionally I will work to ensure that requests for rate relief are for reasonable costs incurred and not for wasteful expenditures or items outside the jurisdiction of the Commission. As part of rate cases that I will adjudicate, I will be looking to review any current fees and assessments that could be reduced or eliminated where appropriate.

Background & experience: I have many years of small business experience along with 16 years as a state legislator. Those experiences have equipped me well for serving as a member of the Corporation Commission. My legislative service provided me with a significant grounding in public policy issue areas. I am clear on the challenges of reliably providing water and power to our growing state in a cost-effective and responsible manner, and I have enjoyed success in enacting the especially challenging issues of regulatory reform and critical reforms to the state budget process. This work earned me an award from the Small Business Administration for being a leader in regulatory reform as I worked to modify the regulatory procedures governing Arizona’s businesses to ensure they are streamlined, but effective. I am prepared for the challenge and the responsibility of employing these same skills and using my knowledge base in the arena of the Corporation Commission.

Campaign finance: public.