Former Dickson resident Sara Kyle resigns as director with Tennessee Regulatory Authority

A former Dickson resident who was the last woman to win a statewide election in Tennessee has resigned from the board that regulates private utilities. Sara Peery Kyle of Memphis resigned Wednesday as a director with the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, saying changes made by Gov. Bill Haslam will reduce the board’s effectiveness. The daughter of Bruce and Emma Gene Peery of Dickson and niece of the late Gov. Frank Clement, Kyle is a 1970 graduate of Dickson High School. She was the last woman to win a statewide election in Tennessee when in 1994 she was elected as one of three directors of the old Public Service Commission, a position that also was formerly held by her cousin Bob Clement. The PSC was converted into the Tennessee Regulatory Authority in 1996 and the directors’ positions became appointed. Last year Haslam made changes to the TRA that expanded its directors to five and made them part-time. The TRA is charged with setting rates and service standards for privately owned telephone, natural gas, electric and water utilities. A former school teacher and Memphis judge, Kyle is married to Democratic state Senator Jim Kyle of Memphis. In leaving the TRA, Kyle said Haslam’s restructuring of the board has diminished its role in regulating utilities.