Candidates for unexpired term of the late Laska Schoenfelder on S...

in Dec. 2001 to replace Shoenfelder, is seeking election to 4-year unexpired portion of her term against Democrat Curt Johnson, currently S.D. public and school lands commissioner. Also on ballot will be incumbent Democrat Pam Nelson, seeking her 2nd 6-year term on PUC against GOP challenger Gary Hanson, former mayor of Sioux Falls. In published interviews in S.D. media, Johnson said PUC needed more enforcement tools so it could impose large fines and other sanctions on violators of its rules and regulations, and power to force utilities to disclose outside business interests that could affect their financial health. Sahr said PUC had authority needed for prodding utilities to address service problems. He said PUC could use reporting requirements to create record that it could use to deal with recalcitrant utilities. He said PUC’s first priority should be to solve immediate problem, then address rate or service changes. Candidates split on whether state antispam law passed in Feb. would curb problem of deceptive and unwanted e-mail advertising. Johnson said law wouldn’t do much because most spam originated from servers outside U.S., beyond reach of U.S. courts. But Sahr said law’s main strength was that it allowed ISPs to act against spam without fear of lawsuits. Both candidates agreed that PUC had important role to play as impartial information source for consumers of telecom and energy services, and in ensuring that companies provided customers with full disclosure. Both also agreed that PUC should remain elected body because it made public policy.