Bob Anthony had never been to an Oklahoma Corporation Commission meeting until he was encouraged in 1988 to run for a seat on the three-member utility-regulating panel. Devoid of a political background and lacking ties to the oil and gas industry or utility companies, Anthony — like many Oklahomans — didn’t really know what the agency did. But today, 36 years after taking his first oath as an elected state officeholder, his tenure as a corporation commissioner ends.
During his time in office, Anthony introduced an ethics policy, assisted the FBI in a six-year undercover operation that exposed bribery and corruption, and helped modernize the agency — which didn’t even have a fax machine when he was first elected — by computerizing records.
Because he was not a politician and had few connections with utilities or the oil and gas industry, Oklahoma voters viewed Anthony as being more concerned about their interests, recalls Bill Shapard, a former political consultant and longtime friend of Anthony’s. Utility ratepayers seemed to believe Anthony was looking out for them because he questioned and often opposed rate increases, he said…