(The Center Square) - Concerns over soaring utility bills, grid reliability and campaign funding have taken center stage in the Louisiana Public Service Commission race in District 1, where three candidates seek to replace Metairie native Eric Skrmetta, who cannot seek reelection because he is reaching the state’s constitutional limit of three terms in office.
In Louisiana’s Nov. 3 general election, state Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, a Republican from New Orleans, will face Democrat Connie Norris, a Slidell resident, and independent Chris Justin, a chemical engineer and former technical adviser to the Public Service Commission.
Hilferty defeated former Jefferson Parish President John Young in the June 27 Republican primary runoff in the traditionally conservative-leaning District 1. The district includes Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes and parts of Jefferson, Livingston, Orleans and St. Charles parishes.
Hilferty, 40, has worked in commercial real estate for nearly 20 years and was elected to the Louisiana House in 2015. She is in her third consecutive term and faces term limits in January 2028. The New Orleans native said she will fight for ordinary ratepayers rather than the shareholders of utility companies after focusing on infrastructure development, utility regulation and consumer protection laws in her almost 11 years in the Louisiana Legislature.
Hilferty said during her campaign she will be a "watchdog" for ordinary ratepayers. She cites her record in the Louisiana House, which includes sponsoring legislation that significantly expanded local government oversight of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans. Hilferty has also pushed for targeted legislative reviews of the regional grid infrastructure after severe storms caused blackouts.
"My ten-year record in the Legislature shows that I am someone who will look closely at the issues and make informed, independent decisions," Hilferty said when announcing her candidacy for the District 1 Public Service Commission seat. "I have proven I will challenge the status quo, and I will bring that same accountability to the commission to protect ratepayers from soaring utility costs."
An investigation published by Verite News on Tuesday and the Louisiana Illuminator on Wednesday reported that Hilferty has raised over $137,000 from energy and water utility companies, their political action committees and corporate executives.
Norris, a 73-year-old retired healthcare professional with no prior political experience, launched her PSC bid after almost five years battling Magnolia Water, a firm backed by private equity that doubled and tripled baseline rates for customers in St. Tammany Parish while they complained of declining water quality.
Magnolia disputes its customers’ accusations of poor quality in the parish, attributing recurring problems to high manganese levels in area water tables. In June, the Public Service Commission approved an extension of Magnolia’s rate-setting plan but also mandated an audit of the utility's financial, billing and customer service practices.
“Over the years, I have worked directly with residents, local officials, and regulatory bodies to bring attention to issues affecting everyday households — including utility reliability, billing concerns, and service quality,” Norris told Verite News.
Norris said her core supporters come from a small group of dedicated community members and that she has taken no corporate funding. “Right now, we're fast approaching electric bills being as high as our house loans and water bills becoming our new car notes," Norris said in a campaign statement.
Justin, who is from New Orleans and has no party affiliation, has made the elimination of corporate influence the centerpiece of his election campaign. Justin has pledged to take no money from utilities. Justin contends Public Service Commission members have drawn more than 40% of their campaign funding from the fossil-fuel industry and the utilities they oversee in recent years.
“I have identified over $1 billion per year in waste that goes to monopoly utility companies that could otherwise stay in Louisianans’ pockets,” Justin told Verite News. “To unlock this money, we need competent regulators who not only understand how the system works but [are] also extremely knowledgeable in alternative solutions that are actually more beneficial for us. Lowering the guaranteed Return on Equity, implementing Distributed Energy Resources, Grid-Enhancing Technologies, and increasing competition will lower costs – but they never get presented by utilities because it is not in their best interest.”
Justin has criticized the allocation of infrastructure costs associated with Meta’s Hyperion data center in Richland Parish. The Louisiana Public Service Commission approved Entergy Louisiana’s initial generation and transmission infrastructure agreement for the project on Aug. 20, 2025. In its announcement of the approval, Entergy said Meta would pay its share of infrastructure costs and that the investments would benefit other customers and improve grid reliability.
The Louisiana Public Service Commission is a five-member body that develops state energy policies, regulates the prices utilities can charge ratepayers, and oversees electric, water, wastewater, natural gas and telecommunications services across the state.