Corrupt Utility Commissioner Kevin Thompson, Who Shills for Data Centers and Fossil Fuels, Must Resign Immediately

State Commissioner Kevin Thompson, who is supposed to regulate electric, gas and power rates, corruptly works for two companies that the Commission regulates.

It’s called the “Arizona Corporation Commission,” (ACC) but what it actually does is regulate electricity and natural gas rates statewide. Thompson, who is the chairman, runs two consulting companies to benefit EdgeCore, a data center in Mesa, and Southwest Gas, the largest distributor of natural gas in Arizona.

A Republican, he has a history of gouging consumers and approving big rate increases for utilities since he was first elected in 2022. He should resign immediately or be indicted for this blatant conflict of interest.

Appallingly, he is running for re-election to the all-Republican Commission. Since Thompson has been in office, electric rates in Arizona have been consistently rising and are projected to hit record highs this summer.

If he fails to resign, he should be voted out of office.

“We could hold a three-hour seminar on corruption issues at the Commission, and we would run out of time. That’s the most recent thing to come to light, that Thompson is actively consulting for a data center company. Although he pinky-promised that he’s not helping them in Arizona, what does that matter?” said Commission candidate Jonathon Hill, speaking at the June 15 meeting of Democrats of Greater Tucson.

EdgeCore’s massive Mesa campus is AI and cloud-application ready, with more than 2.7M sq ft of space that includes 5 data centers spread over 84 acres. It is one of the largest and most power-dense data center facilities in the world.

Thompson is an industry insider, not a consumer watchdog. He worked for Southwest Gas for 17 years. He finished his career at Southwest Gas as a government relations lobbyist from approximately 2010 to 2014.

Under Thompson, the ACC approved a 10% TEP increase in August 2023 and an 8% APS increase in February 2024, both of which were opposed by consumer and environmental groups. The APS rate hike added about $10–$12 per month to residential customers’ bills.

2023 Ethics Complaint: “Wolves of Wall Street” New York Trip

“Thompson was in office for 27 days before he took an all-expenses-paid trip to New York to meet with the investors of APS, which is the primary for-profit electrical utility up here in the Phoenix area,” Hill said. “He met with their investors and told them in public, ‘Don’t worry, Arizona is now open for business.'”

Hill added, “Now, keep in mind that the Commission is a judicial body. They’re supposed to act like judges. Imagine if you have a court case and the judge went on an all-expenses-paid trip to New York to meet with the other side of the court case and told them publicly, ‘Don’t worry, this court is open for business.'”

“That’s so unreasonable, just mind-blowing,” Hill said.

“The thing that also sums it up is that when he got back, Anna Tovar, who at the time was the lone Democrat on the Corporation Commission, filed an ethics complaint alleging that this violated the Corporation Commission’s ethics rules,” Hill said.

The Commission – including Thompson himself – voted to bury the ethics complaint.

Thompson’s most clearly anti-consumer action was voting on March 4, 2026, to repeal Arizona’s Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff Rules — the state’s landmark 2006 mandate requiring utilities to generate 15% of energy from renewables by 2025. Thompson framed the repeal as eliminating unnecessary mandates whose costs to ratepayers were “no longer justified.”

Votes against solar power

This means no support for solar electricity generation. The state’s clean energy boom has created over 64,000 green jobs. Solar power does not pollute or require water. It immediately cuts electricity bills, improves home values, and insulates consumers from Commission-approved utility rate increases.

APS is seeking a 14% rate increase, which would increase the average residential bill by approximately $20 per month. TPS wants a 14% rate increase for residential customers. If approved, this would add about $16 per month to the average household’s bill.

Arizona consumers cannot afford higher electric bills or corrupt Commissioner Kevin Thompson.

What can you do?

• Vote for Democrats Jonathon Hill and Clara Pratte for Corporation Commission.
• Write Thompson on his website and tell him to resign immediately.
• Email Thompson at Thompson-Web@azcc.gov and tell him to get off the Commission.
• Send Thompson a letter to the Arizona Corporation Commission, 1200 W. Washington St., 2nd Floor, Phoenix, Arizona 85007.