Commissioner Doug Everett of Albany, Georgia announced during the Commission Administrative Session that he will retire from the Georgia Public Service Commission effective December 31, 2018. Commissioner Everett has served on the Commission since January 1, 2003 and is currently in the fourth year of his six-year term.
 
The Governor has appointed State Representative James S. “Jason” Shaw, Jr. of Lakeland, Georgia to fill Everett’s unexpired term which ends December 31, 2018. The new Commissioner will have to seek election to a full six-year term in the November 3, 2020 general election.
 
Everett said, “It is with a heavy heart that I announce this decision. This Commission has been like a family to me.  I have not measured my life by riches but by friendships and in that I am truly rich. It has been a privilege and honor to serve the people of Georgia.”
 
“Commissioner Everett has dedicated his life to public service and the people of Georgia, both here at the Commission, in the Legislature and in the City of Albany,” said Commission Chairman Lauren “Bubba” McDonald. “He will be missed.”
 
“From his time serving the city of Albany, to refereeing football games, to serving in the legislature and then almost two decades on the Georgia Public Service Commission, Doug Everett has been a true public servant,” said Commission Vice-chair Tim Echols.

Everett was the first Republican from Southwest Georgia elected to the Georgia Public Service Commission. During his time on the Commission, Everett was instrumental in getting Commission approval to expand the number of Compressed Natural Gas fueling stations in Georgia, through an innovative program with Atlanta Gas Light Company using the Universal Service Fund (USF). He promoted economic development in South Georgia by using the USF to expand natural gas service. He also served as President of the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners in 2007-2008. He has been a strong proponent of nuclear power.
 
Everett has spent most of his adult life in public service. He first served on the Albany Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals, and was then elected to the Albany City Commission, where he served two terms as Mayor Pro Tem. In 1996, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives from Albany and served three terms there before being elected to the Public Service Commission in 2002. He won re-election twice to the Commission by overwhelming majorities.