A Day at the Connecticut Commission
Katie Scharf Dykes is chair of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Jack Betkoski is vice chair of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Mike Caron is a commissioner for the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.
PUF's Steve Mitnick: Chair Dykes, what's most rewarding about chairing the Commission and being in public service?
Chair Dykes: I have tremendous colleagues. I've been with the Authority for about two years. It's been terrific to come into this role and have veterans to serve with. Jack [Betkoski], our Vice Chair, is internationally celebrated for his tenure and experience. It's unique across the country to be in an appointed Commissioner role and to have the long-serving tenure that Jack has. Also, Michael Caron is in his second term.
We have more than five hundred dockets that we're adjudicating a year. On the organizational chart, all of the staff report up to the Chair of the Commission, but for each docket they report to whichever of the three of us is the assigned lead on the case. All three of us will vote on the outcome. Quality deliberation is critical to a good result.
PUF: How do you decide who takes what?
Vice Chair and Commissioner Betkoski: She takes really complex cases, when some Chairs may say, look, I've got to run the agency. She's not only the Chair, she's really the CEO of the Authority. She's got to handle all the personnel items, and the budget, and dealing with the governor's office, and issues of that nature.