KRIS MAYES

Kris Mayes used to aggressively report on Arizona politicians as a journalist for the state’s largest newspaper; now she ranks as one of the political elite after being selected today for a two-year term as chairwoman of the Arizona Corporation Commission. The commission is sometimes called the state’s fourth branch of government because of the independent status conferred by the state constitution and the commission’s exclusive right to regulate private utilities and intra-state railroad lines. 

Mayes is more highly educated than your average newspaper beat writer with a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University and a law degree from Arizona State University. Her peak as a reporter came in 2000 when she covered full-time the first presidential campaign of John McCain for the Arizona Republic. It was after Mayes left the Republic and while she was in law school that she started to cross over into the political process by serving as the media spokeswoman for Janet Napolitano’s campaign for governor in 2002.

In 2003, activists within the state Republican Party immediately dismissed Mayes when Napolitano elevated her from press secretary to a vacant position on the Arizona Corporation Commission. Political strategists assumed voters would view Mayes as a Napolitano toadie instead of on her own merits. Social conservatives believed Mayes would be tripped up by her lack of a pro-life record.

Mayes herself told me at the time that her critics were ignoring the fact that she is a lifelong registered Republican from Prescott, one of the deepest GOP strongholds in the state. I also suspect Mayes’ critics didn’t look at her resume very closely, as her master’s thesis on electric deregulation implied she had the background and skills to handle the job of corporation commissioner. Using HighGround as her campaign strategy firm in 2004 and 2006 also made a difference. That’s the same firm that’s now guiding the transition for Gov.-to-be Jan Brewer.

There’s no question Mayes has been the most visible member of the commission in the past five years, from her relentless advocacy for renewable energy standards to her pointed challenges to APS and its repeated requests for utility rate hikes. She’s constantly traveling the state and proving her commitment to the job.

On a more personal note: Mayes cemented my respect for her a few years ago. She had tracked me down while I was on an out-of-town weekend trip to complain about a story I had written about her. We debated passionately more than a hour by telephone. Later, after we both had cooled off, she sent me a handwritten note saying that in hindsight she understood I had written the story as fairly as I could and she appreciated that I listened further to her point of view. It’s rare that a politician or anyone else shows so much class.