e-Edition

Flagstaff Weather

Comments?

Rate this story

Email this story

Print this story

3 finalists chosen for state seat

By CYNDY COLE
Sun Staff Reporter
Friday, August 03, 2007

Forty-eight Flagstaff-area Democrats nominated a corporate law attorney, a city councilwoman and a former Coconino County supervisor on Thursday to replace Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Flagstaff, as the state representative for Flagstaff.

The five-member Coconino County Board of Supervisors is expected to appoint the candidate who will replace Kirkpatrick sometime this month, choosing from among the three. The appointee's term will run through November 2008.

City Councilwoman Kara Kelty, the top vote-getter, was herself appointed to the Flagstaff City Council in 2002.

She pledged to run for re-election in the Arizona House of Representatives if chosen.

Former Coconino County Supervisor Tom Chabin and attorney Tony Gonzalez were also selected as nominees.

Longtime Coconino County Recorder and local nonprofit director Helen Hudgens Ferrell was not selected as a nominee, as she received the fewest votes.

Arizona's 2nd Legislative District includes the northeastern corner of the state, the Navajo Nation in Arizona, the Hopi Tribe, the Hualapai and Havasupai of the Grand Canyon region and Flagstaff.

On the map, a thin finger of land reaches west from the Navajo Nation to encircle Flagstaff.

This district does not include communities west, south, or just north of Flagstaff, such as Williams or Kachina Village.

Voters in this legislative district are represented at the Arizona Legislature by two representatives in the Arizona House and one in the Arizona Senate.

Kirkpatrick's House seat is now empty and must, by state law, be filled by another Democrat.

The other is filled by Democrat and former Navajo Nation Councilman Albert Tom.

Democrat and former Navajo Nation President Albert Hale is the district's state senator.

The precinct committee voting Thursday was largely Caucasian in appearance.

Members of the tribes represented in this district have not elected to join the party in positions that would allow them to select political nominees, said Harriet Young, chair of the Coconino County Democratic Party.

Each of the candidates spoke to the crowd of voters for a few moments, discussing why they would be good for the job or why they were interested.

"I believe some people were put on this earth to help the needs of others, and that's who I am," Gonzalez said, describing his upbringing as the first member of his family to go to college.

He spoke about building infrastructure on the reservations and attracting jobs.

Chabin would like to serve again, he said.

Hudgens Ferrell spoke of her devotion to the job.

"I want to be your representative bad enough that I'm willing to go down and be a big city kid for the better part of a year," she said.

Kelty spoke about her time on City Council, in which she says she has always considered the environment, water, accountability, citizen participation and fairness her priorities.

Each was asked to choose one top priority if elected, and asked how they would be able to accomplish their goals in a Republican-controlled Legislature.

"We have to be able to invest in the critical issues in our community," Kelty said, stressing planning beyond the next budget year.

She would negotiate and try to build relationships to get bills through, she said.

Chabin listed school funding, mental health, global warming and health care as his top priorities and said he would trade votes to get things done.

For Gonzalez, it was economic development on the Rez. He, too, cited compromise.

Cyndy Cole can be reached at 913-8607 or at ccole@azdailysun.com.

---

»Subscribe to the Arizona Daily Sun

---

---

---

---

Print this story

Email this story

Return to News