Elected and Appointed Government Officials

Brandon Presley is in his third term as Public Service Commissioner and now chairs the PSC.  Elected when he was 30, he was the youngest such Commissioner ever elected in Mississippi.  If that’s not impressive enough, he was elected mayor of his hometown of Nettleton at age 23.

In addition to an ongoing fight for ratepayers, his early and big political bet has been against the logic of the Mississippi Power’s Kemper power plant.  Where he was at one point a lone voice against, the politics of the PSC has now switched in his direction and the plant, now approaching $7 billion in cost, may be a jumping off point for Presley politically.  As the Kemper plant reaches its resolution, his name ID will undoubtedly increase.  He’s also been making waves in helping to spur solar power, particularly in rural areas.

Meanwhile, his name is certainly thrown about in discussions for higher office.  Cut from the same political mold as Jim Hood, the populist Northeast Mississippi Democrat has been mentioned in conversations to run for Governor, Lieutenant Governor as well as other open seats at the statewide level in 2019.  Though the PSC regulates billions in utility payments for ratepayers, the PSC’s scope is pretty limited to issues of utilities and it’s not a broad political base to jump from.  But Presley has undeniable talent on the political stump and the next two years will be pivotal to determine what his next political steps will be.  He may be the sort of populist that the Mississippi Democrats have been starving for over the last decade.