How a lifetime centered on service has prepared Chandra Farley to be a Public Service Commissioner focused on the people of Georgia.

By Lydia Johnson

Meet Chandra Farley.

Chandra Farley is running a historic campaign on a historic ballot. As Georgians head into the May primaries, they have – for the first time in the state’s history – the option to elect a woman into every one of the twelve seats on the ballot. Farley is bidding for a seat on the Public Service Commission. 

Since its foundation in 1879, the Georgia Public Service Commission has largely been white, male, and Republican-run. Public Service Commissioners must run for the district they live in but are elected by statewide vote. This means Commissioners can be elected without having the full support of their district, leading to a Commission that isn’t fully reflective of Georgia’s diverse population. 

Farley is originally from Gallatin, Tennessee. Growing up, she experienced firsthand how racial and economic discrimination, lack of resources, and inequity prevented Black communities and communities of color from fully participating in political processes. Farley is an activist at heart; her upbringing instilled a value of leadership through community service, social justice, and advocacy work. She describes being active in her church community – and supporting friends and neighbors running for local offices – as a girl working for her family’s small restaurant business. Smiling, she notes that she’s always considered involving herself in political processes as part of her duty of public and community service. Looking forward to her election to the Public Service Commission, it’s clear that working at the intersection of environment and justice is more than a job to her  – it’s second nature. 

“We had [family] friends and neighbors who would run for office and, on the days where we were closed, we’d let them use the diner to host their campaign meetings. I’ve been canvassing and knocking on doors and feeling a part of the political process [since I was young].”

It’s no wonder she’s built her campaign on being “The People’s Commissioner”. This sense of duty is what ultimately led her to begin a career in the energy, climate, and environment industry, drawn to the relationships between politics and energy justice initiatives. Keeping her eye on the southeast, Farley eventually moved to Georgia, where she learned about the Public Service Commission as an elected body. At that stage in her career, she was focused on strengthening the connections between the technical and advocacy spaces in climate and energy justice. 

“The work that I was doing…we were trying to make progress around expanded energy efficiency programming and expanded opportunities for rooftop solar. We always bumped into the Public Service Commission.”

Her Term asks Farley what she saw in the current Commission that solidified her decision to run and how she knew this campaign was the next step in her career. She responds that, in her years of working in the sectors impacted by the Commission's decisions, she felt the voices of the people had become drowned out by the interests of utility companies.

“[Consumers] are essentially unrepresented in the Commission’s decision-making processes. They aren’t being heard. We are always pushing from the outside.”

The Public Service Commission Issues Farley Plans to Tackle. 

One of Farley’s main concerns is that the Public Service Commission lacks a people-first approach for its operations; misaligned priorities put utility company needs, such as company credit ratings, ahead of consumers. 

"We’ve got to have a fundamental shift in how energy decisions are being made, and that fundamental shift has to include the voice of the people who are closest to the problem.”

The issues with Public Service Commission operations don’t end at consumer relations. Farley plans on taking an active role in changing the Commission’s staff makeup. In addition to the four Commissioners and Commission Chair, the Public Service Commission is operated and informed by a staff of about 70-80 individuals. It lacks dedicated units for issues such as environmental and climate justice, income qualified programming, or energy equity initiatives. These units are critical to educate the Commissioners on the matters for which they are making decisions.  This Commission has a history of ignoring staff recommendations if they don’t align with Commission agendas. Without the basis of informed and objective facts, the Commission is at risk of relying on subjective opinions or other agendas not otherwise in the best interest of the public.

“Systems transformation, equity, and justice aren’t just about having a good heart. These end-states require expertise to get there, and we need that expertise on the Commission staff.”

A Vision for a Commission for – and of – the people of Georgia.

We also talked to Farley about making the Public Service Commission decision-making process more transparent for constituents. Though it is a statewide office, the Public Service Commission is based in Atlanta, making the few public comment opportunities offered during the year not immediately accessible to people in middle and southern Georgia. Farley describes her activism work, particularly during the 2019 #FightTheHike demonstrations, where she helped mobilize voters to speak during public comment sessions. She describes the challenges associated with identifying the most appropriate dockets at which constituents could speak, providing transportation and accommodations, and scheduling attendance around people’s work schedules.

The Commission’s disconnect with Georgia’s diverse demographics is another motivator prompting Farley to run for office. Of the five commissioners, the Commission currently only has one woman, one person of color, and zero Democrats. This mix hardly reflects the broad racial, gender, political, and socioeconomic experiences of Georgian voters. 

For Farley, changing the face and operations of the Commission is a daunting but welcome challenge.

“I’m thinking of how we can change the Commission to a 3-2 majority [that votes against utility company agendas that could harm consumers]. A majority that will prioritize people and is willing to consider decisions by how they will impact the people of Georgia first, not the utility company.”

Farley is running against incumbent Fitz Johnson; Johnson was appointed by Governor Brian Kemp in July 2021 to fill a vacancy left by former Commission Chair Chuck Eaton for the District 3 PSC seat. Prior to his appointment, Johnson pursued elected public office on two occasions: once for Georgia Superintendent of Schools in 2014, and later for the District 2 seat on the Cobb County Commission in 2020. Both campaigns were unsuccessful. A self-described “lifelong Republican”, Johnson was appointed to his position following a $2,500 donation to Governor Kemp’s upcoming re-election campaign. He goes into this May primary with less than a year of experience in the position. 

This May, Georgians could elect the first Black woman to the Public Service Commission in Georgia’s history. Prior to Fitz Johnson’s appointment, only one other Black Commissioner had held office since elections for this office began in 1906. Only two women have held the title, and no woman of color has ever sat on the Commission. Further, Farley joins a second progressive Democrat running for a Public Service Commission seat this election, Patty Durand. If both are elected, it will mark the first time three women have served on the Commission at the same time. 

Farley’s Cornerstones of Service.

Farley has over a decade of experience working at the intersections of energy, climate, and environmental justice:

• Farley is the Founder and CEO of ReSolve, an energy justice consulting firm that seeks to increase the impact of energy, utility and climate initiatives by centering equity

• In 2020, she founded The Good Energy Project, which seeks to increase engagement of Black women in the clean energy movement, emphasizing its importance on their health, communities, and quality of life 

• She led the Partnership for Southern Equity’s “Just Energy” program where she developed community-centered strategies for energy and climate policies and programs

• For nearly nine years, she served as a Project and Program Manager for Southface Institute, a Southeast-based nonprofit organization dedicated to building a regenerative economy and promoting sustainable infrastructure and communities. 

Farley is nationally recognized as a leader and expert voice in climate, energy, and environmental justice. In 2020, she spoke to the Public Service Commission during a virtual public comment session, advocating for the Commission to cease utility shutoffs for working families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Farley has twice provided witness testimony to the United States Congress on the topics of climate change and equity, and advised the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the establishment of its office of public participation. Her resume more than speaks for itself.

Farley credits these experiences as fundamental in her decision to run for Public Service Commissioner -- in fact, they’re the cornerstones of her platform and vision for the Public Service Commission. Farley’s passion for leaning on community and grassroots organizations as the foundations for long-term transformation to climate and energy justice remain central to her plans for the Commission.

She plans to create energy and utility policies and programs that prioritize Georgia residents over corporate profits. Leaning on her non-profit management experience and energy justice advocacy work, Farley looks to increase partnerships and open lines of communication between the Commission and other agencies that have authority over energy and utility programs such as the state energy agency. 

What’s special about Chandra Farley is her foresight; she is both critical about the current state of the Commission and optimistic about the possibilities once elected. 

“I feel it is my time to stand up and say ‘It’s time for a change in the Commission and the way it operates.’ I am ready to work it from the inside-out.”

Take Action.

• Support Chandra’s campaign and learn more about her work on her website.

• Learn more about the Georgia Public Service Commission and why the midterm elections are so crucial for these seats with our Georgia PSC 101 Guide (soon to be published).

• Check out our profile on Patty Durand, PSC Candidate for District 2.