Ed Roy drops out of PSC race

Former television weatherman Ed Roy dropped out of the race for utility regulator representing the Baton Rouge and Lafayette region.

“The money is not available,” said Roy, R-Lafayette, on Friday. “It breaks my heart. But we have to be realistic.”

Roy said he raised about $52,000 but would need about $500,000 to run a credible race for one of the five Louisiana Public Service Commission districts.

Roy’s withdrawal leaves three Republicans, one Democrat and one person running without party affiliation vying to replace PSC Commissioner Jimmy Field, of Baton Rouge, who is retiring after serving 16 years. The five-elected PSC members oversee the private companies that sell electricity, natural gas, water, telephone and other services, along with regulating tow trucks, moving companies, and other companies.

Roy is a 63-year-old businessman who runs an investigations agency and was an on-air weatherman for 20 years, at KATC-TV, KPEL Radio and KANE Radio. Roy filed his notice of withdrawal at the Secretary of State Office in Baton Rouge on Friday.

He was the first to announce his candidacy for the PSC position.

The five remaining candidates are:

• Scott A. Angelle, R-Breaux Bridge, is the 50-year-old former secretary of state Department of Natural Resources and former interim lieutenant governor.
• Greg Gaubert, No Party-Thibodaux, is a 48-year-old innkeeper.
• Sarah Holliday, R-Baton Rouge, is a 49-year-old activist.
• Erich Ponti, R-Baton Rouge, is a 47-year-old general contractor and state representative.
• Forest Wright, D-New Orleans, is a 35-year-old utility regulatory consultant.

The election is set for Nov. 6. A runoff between the top two vote getters, if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, is scheduled Dec. 8.

The newly redrawn 2nd PSC district stretches from northern parts of Livingston Parish, includes south Baton Rouge and Central, the Felicianas, much of West Baton Rouge and Iberville parishes south to the Gulf Coast to include the “Bayou Communities” in Lafourche, Terrebonne and St. Mary parishes; and west to include parts of the Acadiana parishes of Lafayette, Iberia and St. Martin.

The Secretary of State’s records show that 43.6 percent, or 255,735 of the District 2 registered voters live in the Baton Rouge metro area, including 145,187 voters in East Baton Rouge Parish. Lafayette and its suburbs account for 179,238 of the registered voters in the district, while the Bayou Communities have 152,894 registered voters, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Under the redrawn district maps. PSC Commissioner Lambert Boissiere III, of New Orleans, represents 127,349 registered voters in East Baton Rouge Parish.