Gov. Mark Dayton has named Beverly Jones Heydinger the chair of the Public Utilities Commission.
Heydinger is an administrative law judge and previously served as deputy Minnesota attorney general. She also is chair of the Minnesota Supreme Court’s committee that oversees grants for legal services to low income Minnesotans.
Dayton said:
"Judge Heydinger will be an outstanding Chair of the PUC. In her work as an Administrative Law Judge, she has demonstrated a strong depth, breadth of knowledge, and ability to master complex issues quickly."
Dayton's last appointment to the position, former state Sen. Ellen Anderson, didn't fare well. She was rejected in January by the Republican-led state Senate.
Anderson is now on Dayton's staff, serving as a senior adviser on energy issues.