Senate Confirms Coleman’s Appointment to State Commission

With a 49-1 decision, the state Senate today confirmed the appointment of John F. Coleman Jr. to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

The decision not only confirmed Coleman’s appointment but also renewed the appointment of sitting PUC member James H. Cawley, of Cumberland County. State Sen. Jim Ferlo, an Allegheny County Democrat, cast the sole dissenting vote.

Reached in Harrisburg, Ferlo said he was voting against Cawley, not against Coleman. He said Cawley has acted too much in the interests of utility providers.

Meanwhile, Coleman, a Port Matilda resident, has been president and CEO of the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County since 1999. He will begin in his new role with the PUC immediately, said Scott Sikorski, an aide to state Sen. Jake Corman, R-Bellefonte.

Sikorski said Coleman resigned from the CBICC effective today.

Members of the PUC are full-time state employees and serve five-year terms, regulating about 6,000 electric, water, natural-gas and other utilities statewide.

In an interview earlier this month, Coleman said he has recommended that the CBICC establish a recruitment committee to help identify his successor at the chamber.

He plans to continue living in Port Matilda, he said.

Earlier coverage: Corman Advocated For Coleman’s State Nomination