Topeka ? Gov. Kathleen Sebelius today nominated Michael Moffet of Lawrence to the Kansas Corporation Commission.

Moffet, 53, currently is working for a consulting company, Public Strategies, that advises SBC Kansas, the governor’s office said.

The three-member KCC regulates energy, telecommunications and trucking.

“Mike’s wide range of high-level experience has prepared him well for the complex issues that he will face as a member of the commission,” Sebelius said.

Moffet said he has worked for the Federal Aviation Administration and as a counsel and legislative assistant in Congress.

He said his major focus will be on protecting consumers and promoting competition, but he declined to address current issues before the commission.

“The commission has to be fair and balanced in its approach to the regulated industries. Above all, of course, the commission has to protect the consumer … but at the same time, I think, the commission has to also look at the impact that its regulations have on industry,” he said.

A Senate committee will meet Wednesday to consider whether to confirm his appointment. The job pays about $107,000 per year.

Moffet is a Norton native and boyhood friend of Sebelius’ husband, Gary Sebelius, who is now a federal judge.

When a teen-ager, Moffet said he and Gary Sebelius were members of a rock-n-roll band called the Ascot Five.

Moffet will replace John Wine, who has served on the commission since 1996.

The two other commissioners are Brian Moline and Robert Krehbiel. They are both Democrats, and under state law, Sebelius, also a Democrat, had to appoint someone other than a Democrat. Moffet said he is a Republican.

Moffet is a graduate of Kansas University with a degree in journalism. He obtained his law degree from KU in 1975.

He and his wife Pat and their teen-age son and teen-age daughter live in Lawrence.