5 fi nalists chosen to vie for 2 open seats

A nominating panel has picked five finalists for two open seats on the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

The list now goes to Gov. John Kasich, who will make the selections. These are the finalists:

Daniel Conway, an Upper Arlington Republican, is an attorney specializing in energy and utility issues.

Larry Friedeman, a Waterville Democrat, works in regulatory affairs for IGS Energy, an energy marketer in Dublin.

Ed Hess, a Bexley Republican, is a former PUCO staff member.

Ray Lawton, a Columbus Democrat, is the former director of the National Regulatory Research Institute at Ohio State University.

Greg Williams, a Westerville Republican, is an attorney specializing in energy and utility issues who works for the Ohio Department of Administrative Services.

The seats are open because of the resignation of Howard Petricoff, a Democrat, who stepped down last month after majority Republican lawmakers said they would reject his nomination; and because Lynn Slaby, a Republican, has decided not to seek reappointment to his seat.

The PUCO has five seats. Ohio law says that no major party can have more than three of those seats.

Right now, the remaining seats are held by one Republican and two who are not registered with either party. This means Kasich can appoint any of the five finalists without violating the law.

If Kasich decides he doesn’t like the list of finalists, he can ask the 12-member nominating panel to reconvene and give him another list. The nominating panel consists of appointees made by various state offices.

It is not common for two PUCO seats to be open at once. The appointees, who would need to be confirmed by the Ohio Senate, would have broad authority over state rules related to electricity, natural gas and water, among others.