Brandon Presley

Brandon E. Presley (born July 21, 1977) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who serves as the Commissioner for the Northern District of the Mississippi Public Service Commission.

Brandon Presley
Member of the Mississippi Public Service Commission from the Northern District
Assumed office
January 8, 2008
Preceded byDorlos Robinson
Personal details
Born (1977-07-21) July 21, 1977
Amory, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationItawamba Community College
Mississippi State University (BA)

Career

Presley served as the Mayor of Nettleton, Mississippi from 2001 to 2007. After Bo Robinson announced his retirement[1] Presley was elected Public Service Commissioner for the Northern District of the Mississippi Public Service Commission in 2007 and re-elected in 2011 and 2015.[2][3]

Presley has advocated bringing internet access to rural areas of Mississippi[4] and has opposed the Kemper Project.[5] Presley, as well as the other two members of the Public Service Commission, opposes using Mississippi as an alternative site to Yucca Mountain for nuclear waste storage.[6]

In 2014, Presley succeeded Betsy Wergin of Minnesota to serve as chair of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ Committee on Consumer Affairs. The committee is charged with analyzing the role that state service commissions play in consumer protection within the energy and telecommunications industries.[7]

In the 2015 elections, Democratic State Representative Cecil Brown was elected to represent the Central District. This gave the Democratic Party a majority on the Commission. Subsequently Presley was appointed to serve as chair of the commission.[8] In March, he presided over the groundbreaking of the largest solar power facility in the state. The project is a joint effort between the PSC, the United States Navy and Mississippi Power at NCBC Gulfport.[9]

Political future

As a popular Democratic officeholder in a strongly Republican state, he has been mentioned as a potential candidate for higher office including Governor of Mississippi[8] and as a Democratic candidate for the special election to fill the seat of the late Alan Nunnelee.[10] He has not yet run for higher office, instead focusing on his responsibilities as a member of the Public Service Commission.

Personal life

Presley is a distant cousin of Elvis Presley.[11] He lost 216 pounds during 2013 and 2014.[5]

References
  1. Faulkner, Leesha (July 29, 2007). "Former colleagues join to honor Bo Robinson". Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  2. "About Commissioner Presley". Mississippi Public Service Commission. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Brandon Presley works to close internet gap". WTVA News. July 9, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  5. Geoff Pender (July 19, 2014). "Pender: Who's running for what in '15". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  6. Pender, Geoff (August 19, 2014). "Presley to Obama: Mississippi doesn't want nuclear waste". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  7. "PSC member Brandon Presley takes national post". The Clarion-Ledger. March 9, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  8. "Presley, at helm of utility regulator, could get his chance". The Meridian Star. January 5, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  9. Williams, Darrin (March 2, 2014). "Solar power breaking new ground in South Mississippi". Sun Herald. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  10. Hall, Sam R. (February 11, 2015). "Presley won't be among Congressional candidates". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  11. "Elvis Cousin Says He Won't Run for US Senate in Mississippi". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
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