“Shortest executive career since that pope that got poisoned.”

– Wall Street

As of yesterday, there’s a new chairman of the Louisiana Public Service Commission. Eric Skrmetta, a Republican from Metairie, won a 5-0 vote as the commission’s new head, taking over for Louisiana’s last remaining Longite socialist “Bananas” Foster Campbell – whose reign atop the PSC lasted less than a year.

You read that right – Campbell didn’t even vote for himself. He spent a couple of weeks trying to get Clyde Holloway or Scott Angelle, the other two Republican commissioners, to run against Skrmetta, but found out – surprise! – that he didn’t have any influence on them.

Which meant that Skrmetta gets to be sheriff, and we’ll have a little less emphasis at the PSC on initiatives designed to get Campbell on the six o’ clock news…

Skrmetta will also serve on the Entergy Regional State Committee (ERSC), a five-person, four-state board established in 2009 to consider how expansion and upgrades to Entergy’s transmission will impact communities and rate payers.  He will also serve on the Midwestern Independent Service Organization (MISO), a board that will take control of the states’ transmission systems at the end of this year.

Skrmetta was also appointed by the President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) to serve on the national Electricity Committee.  Said Skrmetta, “I am honored to be selected by my fellow commissioners to serve as the Chairman of the Commission.  I will work to set an agenda that will stabilize utility costs for consumers and ensure that regulated companies maintain high standards for their infrastructure systems so consumers can enjoy maximum reliable service.”

Added Skrmetta, “My appointment to the Entergy Regional State Committee (ERSC) allows me to continue developing a strategy that will bring Louisiana into a regional system of managing electricity.  As for my appointment to NARUC, the ability to interact with Commissioners of other states will help me better understand electricity issues and trends so I may develop strategies for Louisiana to help protect our consumers.”

Campbell isn’t even the vice-chairman of the PSC, as that job goes to Holloway. Which means the commission is under more solidly Republican control than at any time in its history.