Understaffed Commission in NY

The New York Times:

The staff size at the New York State Public Service Commission declined by nearly one-third under the Pataki administration, and the reduction contributed to a failure by the agency to adequately monitor Consolidated Edison’s performance, according to a report to be released today by a State Assembly task force...

The task force found that the commission had about 800 employees in 1995, when George E. Pataki began the first of his three terms as governor, and now — partly due to deregulation — has about 550. Nearly 40 percent of the staff is 55 or older and is expected to retire within a decade.