SPEAKER
Posted by Robert Homann on Sep 07, 2016
Our speaker Bill Mundell is a 30-year veteran of state government in Arizona. He is a graduate of Saguaro HS and ASU. He has served in all 4 branches of AZ government - Judicial (as a judge), Legislative (as a representative), Executive (as Director of the AZ Registry of Contractors) and as a commissioner on the AZ Corporation Commission. This is Bill's 4th visit to speak at our club.
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Bill is a Clean Elections Act candidate for the Corporation Commission. He had to raise 2,000 $5 contributions to qualify for Clean Elections funding. The Corporation Commission regulates monopolies in AZ such as those involved with electric service, natural gas, land line telephones, water companies, sewer companies, etc. There are over 400 private water and sewer entities in the state. Decisions by the Corporation Commission therefore affect everyone's life. The Commission is quasi-judicial - it hears arguments pro and con in trials like those that go on in courtrooms. Administrative law judges recommend a preliminary finding to the Commission which can accept it, deny it or modify it.
Bill explained the issue of dark money being involved in the campaigns of candidates for the Commission. The Citizens United case at the Supreme Court abolished the cap on campaign contributions from PACs, corporations and unions. Prior to that decision, donors had to reveal how much they gave and to whom. The AZ legislature acted to make it even easier to hide dark money so now dark money contributions have become a big factor in AZ elections.