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Letter

John Repke – Montana’s Choice for the PSC

John Repke is an outstanding candidate for the PSC, and uniquely qualified to serve the people of Montana in this vital role

By Casey Malmquist

The Public Service Commission is an independent regulatory agency dedicated to serving the public interest and is responsible for the regulation of Montana investor-owned utilities. It’s the PSC’s job to balance the interests of ratepayers and the utilities themselves, regulating a fair and reasonable rate structure that maintains a financially sound utility, capable of providing reliable service, now and in the future.

This is an essential agency, supposedly non-partisan, and as its name suggests, the commissioner’s role is to serve the best interests of the public. If you are interested in learning more about the PSC and its current and turbulent status, listen to the recent series of podcasts by former Kalispell Mayor Tammi Fisher, wherein she reveals a self-serving, corrupt, and chaotic agency that struggles to regulate themselves, let alone a massive public utility (Montana Values Podcast: episodes 8 and 43).

The role of a commissioner is challenging, and to serve effectively in that role requires a unique set of skills and experience. Public utilities are large, complex, and arcane organizations, and for one to regulate rates intelligently and effectively, requires a diverse range of knowledge and experience, with an emphasis on finance and corporate accounting, as well as a fundamental understanding of their operations, products, and services.

John Repke is an outstanding candidate for the PSC, and uniquely qualified to serve the people of Montana in this vital role. John has decades of experience as chief financial officer, CFO, for several large, complex companies, including companies in the “energy” sectors and providers of regulated public services. I have had the pleasure of working alongside John for several years, as he served as CFO of SmartLam North America, a “startup” engineered wood product company I founded in 2012 right here in Montana. 

John is highly intelligent, fiscally gifted, analytical, reasonable, creative, practical, fair, and honest. John is a good listener and a great communicator, and I know from experience, John will put an emphasis on “service” when it comes to conducting the business of the Public Service Commission. Montanans will not find a better candidate for the PSC than John Repke.

Casey Malmquist
Whitefish