Former Seattle Official To Head Utc

Wed., Aug. 13, 1997

From Staff And Wire Reports

Gov. Gary Locke on Tuesday named Anne Levinson, a former deputy mayor of Seattle, as the state’s top regulator of public utilities.

Levinson, 39, replaces Sharon Nelson as chairwoman of the state Utilities and Transportation Commission, a three-member panel that faces complex decisions affecting everyone as the telecommunications and power industries move closer to free-market competition.

One immediate task will be to address U S West’s efforts before the commission and in court to win an increase in telephone rates. The telephone giant argues that it needs to increase revenues to operate in the new competitive environment, but the commission last year ordered the company to cut rates.

Levinson declined to discuss her views on utility issues during a news conference in the governor’s office, except to say she’ll work to protect the interests of consumers, businesses and the environment.

Levinson will start her six-year term in mid-September at an annual salary of $89,583. The appointment is subject to confirmation by the state Senate, which convenes in January.

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