Changes

===Seeking seat on Public Service Commission===

===Seeking seat on Public Service Commission===

Pinac ran third in the 2009 PSC election. As he conceded defeated on election night, Pinac endorsed his fellow Republican, former [[U.S. Representative]] Clyde Cecil Holloway (1943-2016).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20090405/NEWS01/904050327/-1/NEWSFRONT2|author=Robert Morgan, "Holloway, McPherson go into May PSC runoff"|date=April 5, 2009|publisher=''The Alexandria Town Talk''|accessdate=April 5, 2009}}</ref>  

Pinac ran third in the 2009 PSC election. As he conceded defeated on election night, Pinac endorsed his fellow Republican, former [[U.S. Representative]] Clyde Cecil Holloway (1943-2016).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20090405/NEWS01/904050327/-1/NEWSFRONT2|author=Robert Morgan|title=Holloway, McPherson go into May PSC runoffdate=April 5, 2009|publisher=''The Alexandria Town Talk''|accessdate=April 5, 2009}}</ref>  

Holloway led narrowly in the initial balloting with 32,258 votes (43.50 percent) to Democrat former state Senator [[Joe McPherson]] of Woodworth, also in Rapides Parish, who received 31,610 votes (42.63 percent). Pinac trailed with 10,280 ballots (13.86 percent), but he won his home parish of Acadia and polled four votes more than Holloway and McPherson, who tied with 120 votes each, in the small in population Cameron Parish on the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. McPherson's greatest strength was in Calcasieu Parish ([[Lake Charles]]), where he led 11,178 (50.40 percent) to Holloway's 7,873 (35.50 percent), and Pinac's 3,127 (14.10 percent). Holloway's total in Calcasieu was also his single largest parish total. The home of both runoff candidates, Rapides Parish, in a low turnout cast 6,527 ballots for Holloway, 5,327 for McPherson, and 791 for Pinac.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, April 4, 2009.</ref>​

Holloway led narrowly in the initial balloting with 32,258 votes (43.50 percent) to Democrat former state Senator [[Joe McPherson]] of Woodworth, also in Rapides Parish, who received 31,610 votes (42.63 percent). Pinac trailed with 10,280 ballots (13.86 percent), but he won his home parish of Acadia and polled four votes more than Holloway and McPherson, who tied with 120 votes each, in the small in population Cameron Parish on the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. McPherson's greatest strength was in Calcasieu Parish ([[Lake Charles]]), where he led 11,178 (50.40 percent) to Holloway's 7,873 (35.50 percent), and Pinac's 3,127 (14.10 percent). Holloway's total in Calcasieu was also his single largest parish total. The home of both runoff candidates, Rapides Parish, in a low turnout cast 6,527 ballots for Holloway, 5,327 for McPherson, and 791 for Pinac.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, April 4, 2009.</ref>​

In the PSC special election, Pinac sought to succeed the Democrat [[Dale Sittig]] of Eunice on the PSC, who served from 1995 to 2008, when he resigned to accept the directorship of the Louisiana Offshore Port Authority, known by the acronym LOOP. Sittig is also a former member of the Louisiana House from neighboring District 41.<ref name=adtt/> A runoff election for the PSC seat was cancelled, when Democrat Joe McPherson, who lost to Sittig in a previous special election in 1995, withdrew from the race.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lapolitics.com/|title=Gil Pinac|author=John McGinnis|publisher=lapolitics.com|accessdate=December 24, 2008; no longer on-line}}</ref> McPherson was reelected in his District 29 Senate seat in 2007 with 69 percent of the vote in the primary against another  Democrat.<ref name=lsos/>​

In the PSC special election, Pinac sought to succeed the Democrat [[Dale Sittig]] of Eunice on the PSC, who served from 1995 to 2008, when he resigned to accept the directorship of the Louisiana Offshore Port Authority, known by the acronym LOOP. Sittig is also a former member of the Louisiana House from neighboring District 41.<ref name=adtt/> A runoff election for the PSC seat was cancelled, when Democrat Joe McPherson, who lost to Sittig in a previous special election in 1995, withdrew from the race.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lapolitics.com/|title=Gil Pinac|author=John McGinnis|publisher=lapolitics.com|accessdate=December 24, 2008; no longer on-line}}</ref> McPherson was reelected in his District 29 Senate seat in 2007 with 69 percent of the vote in the primary against another  Democrat.<ref name=lsos/>​

Holloway won the 2009 PSC race automatically without the need for a runoff contest.<ref name=bouterie>Nick Bouterie, "Can a Democrat Become a True Republican," accessed December 24, 2008</ref>​

Holloway won the 2009 PSC race automatically without the need for a runoff contest.<ref name=bouterie>Nick Bouterie, "Can a Democrat Become a True Republican," accessed December 24, 2008</ref>​ He died in office in 2016.

  ​

  ​

In his statement of PSC candidacy, Pinac promised to "fight to get more power to you, the Louisiana consumer. I will take a common sense approach while working to keep [[electric]] rates fair, encourage the development of new sources of reliable, affordable, clean energy, and demand the safe and quick return of power to our homes and businesses after disasters strike our state. Our day-to-day lives are affected every time we flip that electrical switch, and in these difficult economic times, we should get what we pay for: safe, reliable, and reasonably-priced electricity and other utilities."<ref name=adtt/>​

In his statement of PSC candidacy, Pinac promised to "fight to get more power to you, the Louisiana consumer. I will take a common sense approach while working to keep [[electric]] rates fair, encourage the development of new sources of reliable, affordable, clean energy, and demand the safe and quick return of power to our homes and businesses after disasters strike our state. Our day-to-day lives are affected every time we flip that electrical switch, and in these difficult economic times, we should get what we pay for: safe, reliable, and reasonably-priced electricity and other utilities."<ref name=adtt/>​

 

In addition to Acadia, the PSC district includes all or part of seventeen parishes: Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Catahoula (part), Evangeline]], Grant, Jefferson Davis, La Salle, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, St. Landry, St. Martin Parish, Vermilion, and Vernon parishes. The PSC has jurisdiction over publicly owned utilities providing electric, water, waste water, [[natural gas]], and telecommunication services in addition to all the electric cooperatives in Louisiana. The PSC also regulates intrastate transportation, including passenger carrier services, waste haulers, household goods carriers, non-consensual towing, and intrastate pipelines.<ref name=adtt/>​

In addition to Acadia, the PSC district includes all or part of seventeen parishes: Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Catahoula (part), Evangeline]], Grant, Jefferson Davis, La Salle, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, St. Landry, St. Martin Parish, Vermilion, and Vernon parishes. The PSC has jurisdiction over publicly owned utilities providing electric, water, waste water, [[natural gas]], and telecommunication services in addition to all the electric cooperatives in Louisiana. The PSC also regulates intrastate transportation, including passenger carrier services, waste haulers, household goods carriers, non-consensual towing, and intrastate pipelines.<ref name=adtt/>​

 

==References==​

==References==​

{{reflist}}​

{{reflist}}​