South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner Dusty Johnson will serve as master of ceremonies and keynote speaker for the annual District 22 Lincoln Day Dinner Friday at Huron Event Center.

Beadle County Republican Party chairman Bush Fullerton said the event has drawn from 140 to 200 people for the past several years.

“We expect a good turnout due to 2008 being a presidential election year that also includes South Dakota races in both the Senate and House,” he said.

District 22 includes western Beadle and all of Hand and Jerauld counties. While people living in eastern Beadle County are represented by District 6, they are encouraged to attend.

Johnson was elected to the PUC in November 2004, becoming the youngest utilities commissioner in the nation. He has played a role in developing renewable energy resources, expanding broadband and wireless phone capabilities, keeping utility rates low and protecting consumers since joining the commission.

Others participating in the Lincoln Day Dinner will be Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard, U.S. Senate candidates Joel Dykstra and Sam Kephart and U.S. House candidate Chris Lien.

The social begins at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling Fullerton, 354-4776; Rosie Harrington, 352-5040; Kevin Watts in Miller, 853-2208; or Gail Arnott in Wessington Springs, 539-1999.

Johnson has served as chairman of the PUC and chairman of the South Dakota Rural Development Council and is a current member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissions’ Electricity Committee.

Before joining the PUC, he was the senior policy adviser to Gov. Mike Rounds for economic development, energy, corrections and transportation issues. He has also worked for local governments in the Kansas City area and as a Truman fellow for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.

Johnson is a Pierre native and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota and his master’s degree from the University of Kansas.