A significant shift occurred in the governance of the Salt River Project (SRP) as a new member was sworn in, changing the dynamics of the district board’s alignment. This comes after a clean-energy slate narrowly secured control earlier this year, only to see its majority slip away.
On Thursday, Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin assumed a seat on SRP’s governing boards, replacing Nick Brown, a proponent of solar energy and a member of the clean-energy team that emerged victorious in the April elections. Brown’s resignation last month, attributed to a desire to spend more time with family, led to Galvin’s appointment.
When Brown was part of the board, the clean-energy advocates held an 8-6 majority, having defeated several candidates backed by Turning Point USA’s political affiliate during a high-turnout election. Following Brown’s exit, Galvin’s addition shifts the board to a 7-7 split between clean-energy supporters and other members. Brown had expressed his reasons for stepping down in an interview with the Arizona Republic.
‘I’m not part of any slate’
Galvin made it clear that he is not aligned with either the clean-energy team or the Turning Point-backed group. He criticized both factions after the April election, calling out Turning Point Action for their failures. “Complete botch job by Turning Point Action, losing majority of SRP board seats to leftists. This follows TP defeats in PA & WI Supreme Ct races. TP Action, wasting donor money, went to desperate move on ballot harvesting. Losing statewide races & now SRP board seats. Incompetents,” Galvin posted on X.
Currently, the board comprises 14 members, with a council of 30. The clean-energy agenda has been a point of contention among the board members, with Galvin and others not committed to the same renewable energy initiatives. Two board members, Paul Rovey and Mark Pace, have received support from Turning Point, along with board president Christopher Dobson and Vice President Barry Pacely.
What does the clean-energy slate want?
Ken Clark, a clean-energy board member, highlighted the group’s focus on affordability and the impact of data centers. “Clean energy is now the cheapest form of energy in the world. … Over the last seven, 10 years, you have data centers coming in and just forcing all of these utilities across the whole country to scramble and add more gas firming power when we could be asking data centers to carry more of their own weight,” Clark explained.
Galvin remains open to various energy sources, emphasizing a balanced approach. “I would say it’s really good to have an energy mix of uses,” he noted. “I am supportive of solar, natural gas — renewables, I should say, not just solar — and nuclear. And obviously there’s some other technologies that people think are around the corner but let’s wait and see on those.”
His focus is primarily on utility oversight and ensuring affordability for ratepayers, without adhering to a specific ideological stance. “You are overseeing a utility, which means it’s very important to make sure that the company is running well but also most importantly that you’re looking out for ratepayers in terms of affordability,” Galvin stated.
‘It felt very engineered’
Clark expressed concerns over the process that led to Galvin’s appointment, suggesting it was orchestrated. The SRP district council voted on Brown’s replacement, with Galvin receiving 15 votes to Eric Gorsegner’s 13, despite Gorsegner being the clean-energy team’s preferred choice. The guidelines established in 2012 recommended appointing someone from the same district as the vacancy, a precedent not followed in this case. Clark remarked on this discrepancy, noting, “This was SRP District 7, and the members of District 7 said, ‘we want Eric Gorsegner to move up to the board,’ and in fact that precedent was used just a couple months ago for a vacancy replacement on the council, but when it was not convenient, that precedent, those guidelines that were created in 2012, were just ignored. Because it’s about power.”
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