Is Nancy Wenzel, Esq.: Nevada’s Public Utility Commission’s, Delphi Technique Master?

Feb. 24, 2012 - PRLog -- Nancy Wenzel, an attorney, admitted to the Nevada Bar on 10/16/95, aside from being a state employee at the Nevada PUC, as a Hearing Master, has apparently, mastered the Delphi Technique. Ironically, Wenzel is the only attorney who participates in Commission agendas, whose license is active with the bar association.

“The process used to “facilitate” the meeting is called the Delphi Technique. This Delphi Technique was developed by the RAND Corporation for the U.S. Department of Defense back in the 1950s. It was originally intended for use as a psychological weapon during the cold war.

However, it was soon recognized that the steps of Delphi could be very valuable in manipulating ANY meeting toward a predetermined end.

How does the process take place? The techniques are well developed and well defined.

First, the person who will be leading the meeting, the facilitator or Change Agent must be a likable person with whom those participating in the meeting can agree or sympathize.

It is, therefore, the job of the facilitator to find a way to cause a split in the audience, to establish one or a few of the people as “bad guys” while the facilitator is perceived as the “good guy.”

Facilitators are trained to recognize potential opponents and how to make such people appear aggressive, foolish, extremist, etc. Once this is done, the facilitator establishes himself or herself as the “friend” of the rest of the audience.”

Within each group, discussion takes place of issues, already decided upon by the leadership of the meeting. Here, too, the facilitator manipulates the discussion in the desired direction, isolating and demeaning opposing viewpoints.

Generally, participants are asked to write down their ideas and disagreements with the papers to be turned in and “compiled” for general discussion after the general meeting is reconvened.

This is the weak link in the chain, which you are not supposed to recognize. Who compiles the various notes into the final agenda for discussion? Ahhhh! Well, it is those who are running the meeting.

Rarely does anyone challenge the process, since each concludes that he or she was in the minority and different from all the others.

So, now, those who organized the meeting in the first place are able to tell the participants and the rest of the community that the conclusions, reached at the meeting, are the result of public participation.

Actually, the desired conclusions had been established, in the back room, long before the meeting ever took place. There are variations in the technique to fit special situations but, in general, the procedure outlined above takes place.
The natural question to ask here is: If the outcome was preordained before the meeting took place, why have the meeting? Herein lies the genius of this Delphi Technique.

It is imperative that the general public believe that this program is theirs! They thought it up! They took part in its development! Their input was recognized!
If people believe that the program is theirs, they will support it.

If they get the slightest hint that the program is being imposed upon them, they will resist.

This very effective technique is being used, over and over and over, to change our form of government from the representative republic, intended by the Founding Fathers, into a “participatory democracy." Now, citizens chosen at large are manipulated into accepting preset outcomes while they believe that the input they provided produced the outcomes which are now theirs! The reality is that the final outcome was already determined long before any public meetings took place, determined by individuals unknown to the public. Can you say “Conspiracy?”1


How did Wenzel achieve this dubious title?

Wenzel was to oversee their Docket 11-1007, regarding Smart Meters and submit her recommendations to the Commissioners.  In the two hearings she presided over in December 2011 and January 2012, she feigned concern over the objections to the deployment of smart meters by ratepayers.

While she was able to maintain the appearance of attentiveness, her associates on the dais, either were engrossed in conversation during public comments or trying to stay awake.

In her recommendations, she selectively addressed the legalities and violations of state and federal laws, by, ignoring the facts and skewed the truth to appease, what is being perceived as her "pet’ utility, NV Energy. 2

Wenzel ignored the fact that both state statutes and federal laws completely protect all disabilities and decided that only one disability should be referenced to justify her erroneous recommendation, that these meters were not an Americans for Disability Act violation.  Apparently, the numerous residents with epilepsy do not deserve protection under said laws and statutes.

Aside from her concerted lack of empathy for the disabled and economically disadvantaged residents, Wenzel has now placed at risk, animals, whether they are service animals or companion animals.

In December, she entered into the record, an exhibit showing that NV Energy acknowledged that these meters were in fact surveillance devices, by, sending out to the ratepayers, a no install letter under this premise. Which was completely ignored in her recommendation.

When asked to delineate what a hearing comprised of, she stated “a battle of experts”.  While not allowing the ratepayers, the opportunity to have their expert being present to participate in this “battle”.  Nothing like making sure your preconceived outcome is maintained, by restricting the flow of information, legalities, science, discourse, to proceed in a “true democratic” manner and render a recommendation that all sides are represented equally.

In addition, Wenzel now wants to mimic a Mafia “Godmother”, protecting her “Capos” interests, by recommending fees, which apparently, appear to fit extortion, economic duress and coercion. Stripping away any free will Nevadans have while dealing with a monopoly.

Forcing those who will be the most impacted by these meters, to have them installed over prohibitive costs related to maintaining their analog meters, to protect their health and privacy.

Why should Wenzel care if Nevadan’s are injured by these meters? Upon information and belief, her husband is a personal injury attorney, who ironically handles “electrical injuries”. 3

Nevada wonders why they can’t attract businesses and are usually in the top of the most negative lists that are compiled: Foreclosures, unemployment, poor education etc.

With state employees such as Wenzel, making recommendations to a regulatory agency, Nevada will never grow in the right direction, with her mendacious recommendations and probable violations of some of the tenets of the Nevada Bar.

1.   Virginia Land Rights Coalition. The Delphi Technique: Let’s Stop Being Manipulated! Albert Burns. http://www.vlrc.org/articles/110.html

2.   http://www.national-toxic-encephalopathy-foundation.org/W...

3. http://bdjlaw.com/AttorneyProfiles/MarkCWenzel/