Patty Durand

Patty Durand

Education

Graduate

College of William and Mary, 1993

Personal

Profession

President & CEO, Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative

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Patty Durand (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Georgia Public Service Commission to represent District 2. She advanced from the Democratic primary on May 24, 2022.

Durand completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Patty Durand earned a graduate degree from the College of William and Mary in 1993. Her career experience includes working as the president and CEO for Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.

Elections

2022

See also: Georgia Public Service Commission election, 2022

Georgia was scheduled to hold an election for two of five seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission on November 8, 2022. The general election was canceled after United States District Court judge Steven Grimberg ruled on August 5, 2022, that the Georgia Public Service Commission's at-large elections violate the Voting Rights Act and that the scheduled 2022 general election should not be held using that system. The state submitted an appeal to stay the decision until after the general election but withdrew the appeal on August 19, 2022, meaning the two races did not appear on the 2022 ballot.

A primary was held on May 24, 2022, before the general election was canceled.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Georgia Public Service Commission District 2

Patty Durand defeated Russell Edwards in the Democratic primary for Georgia Public Service Commission District 2 on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Patty Durand	60.4	392,357
	Submit photo	Russell Edwards	39.6	256,769

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 649,126
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Georgia Public Service Commission District 2

Incumbent Tim Echols advanced from the Republican primary for Georgia Public Service Commission District 2 on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tim Echols	100.0	1,033,061

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,033,061
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Patty Durand completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Durand's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m a resident of Georgia concerned about the high energy bills, air pollution, and extreme weather hurting people. I want to bring my 15 years of experience as a consumer energy advocate fighting on behalf of everyday Georgians to the Public Service Commission. I’ve seen firsthand how clean energy technologies are transforming the economy and want to unlock the endless opportunity they can create for Georgians through good jobs, cleaner air, and lower bills.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I will ensure that clean energy technologies like solar, wind, and battery storage are the first choice for Georgia’s energy growth because they’re cheaper, reduce carbon emissions, and generate thousands of good jobs for Georgians.
• I will ensure that Georgia drops out of 4th place in the U.S. for high energy bills by adopting consumer programs such as demand response and energy efficiency similar to other states. We can do much more to save Georgians money.
• I will bring transparency and ethics to the commission by ending private commissioner meetings with lobbyists once hearings at the commission begin, which is illegal in most states and should be illegal here. I will follow staff guidance to eliminate the heavy use of reports labeled as “trade secret,” which the current commission ignores. I will end the practice of outsourcing transcripts to a private company which then charges a per page fee that blocks public participation and transparency.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about giving consumers greater choice by giving everyone the option to install money saving rooftop solar, removing barriers to safe, clean, renewable energy, and upgrading our homes and buildings with money saving energy efficiency programs and technologies.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Most energy decisions are made at the state level. So if we want lower bills and cleaner air, then the Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, is the place to start. This is especially true for the southeast, which has some of the biggest polluters in the country, and for Georgia in particular, which has some of the biggest artificial barriers to clean, money saving, renewable energy choices like rooftop solar and community solar.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Anything from Peter Fox-Penner:

Power After Carbon

Smart Power: Climate Change, the Smart Grid, and the Future of Electric Utilities

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I understand how hard it is to choose between basic needs like heating and eating, and would be honored to bring my 15 years of experience fighting on behalf of everyday Georgians for fair energy bills and inclusive innovation to the commission.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Understanding the 21st century energy economy and making sure Georgians benefit from a just transition to clean technologies that puts more money in their pockets every month, creates thousands of good green jobs, and preserves our great outdoors.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Making Georgia the number 1 state for clean tech jobs, the cleanest air, and the cheapest energy bills.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

Ensuring our energy is from safe, clean, affordable sources, and that consumers are treated respectfully. Fighting to keep people's utilities on during emergencies like deadly heat waves and Covid-19.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

This office has more control over how climate change is addressed than people realize. It can set up measurement and disclosure of carbon pollution and other harmful toxins released by utilities.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

PSC commissioners should have experience in energy. The economics and regulation of monopoly investor-owned utilities (IOU) are complex matters, and completely foreign to those most familiar with competitive businesses and markets. Specialized expertise is required. These are precisely the reasons why state legislatures established commissions to regulate IOUs in the first place.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Honesty, empathy, and hard work. Listening to the people you serve, understanding their struggles and dreams, and doing the best possible job you can for them every single day.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Georgia Public Service Commission District 2

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