November 12, 2002

Michigan Public Service Commissioner David Svanda has been elected President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.  Commissioner Svanda will assume his duties for the one-year term, effective today.  Commissioner Svanda will continue his duties as Commissioner at the MPSC.  Mr. Svanda, originally appointed to the Michigan Public Service Commission by Governor John Engler in December 1995, has been reappointed to a term that expires in 2003.  Commissioner Svanda is a member of the Federal Communications Commission's Local and State Advisory Committee, past president of the Mid-American Regulatory Conference and an advisor to the MSU Institute of Public Utilities and the National Regulatory Research Institute.

"I am proud to accept this honor to ensure that Michigan and state commissions have a strong voice in a rapidly changing utility environment," said Mr. Svanda. "I will serve in the proud tradition of NARUC's founder, Michigan's Thomas M. Cooley, who presided over the first NARUC convention in 1889 and served as President of the Association for three years.  Mr. Cooley, first Chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission and Michigan Supreme Court Justice, had the insight to realize the necessity for a national organization to achieve closer cooperation between the State commissions and federal regulatory agencies and helped to guide its development."

"Commissioner Svanda again shows his willingness to provide leadership and expertise on utility regulatory matters at the state and national level," noted MPSC Chairman Laura Chappelle.  "I commend Commissioner Svanda for assuming this significant national leadership position, for there is no better person to lead the NARUC."

NARUC is a national association composed of governmental agencies of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, engaged in the regulation of utilities and carriers.  NARUC's chief objective is to serve the consumer interest by seeking to improve the quality and effectiveness of public regulation in America. 

The MPSC is an agency within the Department of Consumer and Industry Services.

Read more press releases from the MPSC