About Scott Kelsh

Scot Kelsh is running for the North Dakota Public Service Commission because he believes the people who pay the bills deserve a seat at the table.

Born in Ellendale, Scot earned a degree in architecture from NDSU and has spent his career serving his community — as a firefighter with IAFF Local 642, and today as a tutor and special education behavior technician with Fargo Public Schools.

From 1996 to 2014, Scot represented District 11 in Fargo in the North Dakota House of Representatives, eventually serving as Assistant Minority Leader. During his 18 years in the legislature, he served on the Energy Development and Transmission Committee, the Natural Resources Committee, and the Taxation and Finance Committee — the committees with direct jurisdiction over the issues the Public Service Commission handles every day. Outside the legislature, he served on the steering committee of Powering the Plains and was a member of the National Wind Coordinating Committee and Wind on the Wires, building a depth of renewable energy policy experience the current commission lacks.

As data centers, carbon pipelines, and new energy infrastructure reshape North Dakota's landscape, Scot is running to make sure the Public Service Commission stays ahead of these changes instead of playing catch-up. He supports responsible data center development that doesn't drive up utility costs for everyday ratepayers, and he's committed to protecting landowners from eminent domain overreach and ensuring new industrial development actually benefits the communities it moves into.

Scot's approach is simple: listen first, and don't ignore the people who show up. With a legislative record few candidates can match — and the labor and public safety credibility of a firefighter — that's the kind of Public Service Commission he will be.

Power for the People.