S T A T EG U I D E B O O K

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C O C O N I N O C O U N T YP U B L I C A F F A I R S

C O C O N I N O . A Z . G O V /P U B L I C A F F A I R S

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P U B L I C A F F A I R S @C O C O N I N O . A Z . G O V

Claire Harper serves as the Management Analyst for PublicAffairs. As the Management Analyst, Harper focuses onlegislation for the County, among many other special projects.Harper joined the County team in September 2019 with morethan twelve years of experience working in local government.Harper received her B.S. in Public Relations and Master of PublicAdministration from Northern Arizona University.

E R I C P E T E R S O NP U B L I C A F F A I R S D I R E C T O R

T O D D M A D E K S Z AE L E V A T E D A D V O C A C Y

Eric Peterson serves as the Public Affairs Director forCoconino County. Peterson has over 15 years of experience in

state, federal and local government. Eric believes strongly inthe power of the Public Affairs team to affect change and

innovation across Coconino County. Together, the team takeson the government affairs, economic and workforce

development, communications and community relationsfunctions of the County.

C L A I R E H A R P E RM A N A G E M E N T A N A L Y S T

Julian Wolff serves Coconino County as a PublicAffairs Specialist conducting government affairswork. Julian is in his final year at the University ofSouthern California Price School of Public Policypursuing his B.S. in Public Policy and an acceleratedMaster of Public Administration degree.

J U L I A N W O L F FP U B L I C A F F A I R S S P E C I A L I S T

Todd Madeksza, has been active at the Arizona StateLegislature since 1999. He has served on staff for the StateSenate, the Director of Licensing and Education for the ArizonaDepartment of Real Estate, and as the Legislative Director forthe County Supervisors Association from 2006 until 2016. Mostrecently, Todd was the Director of Public Affairs and CommunityRelations for Coconino County.

todd@elevatedadvocacy.com

@ C O C O N I N O C O U N T Y

Matt Ryan is entering his seventh term as District 3 Supervisor.District 3 includes the City of Williams, portions of the City of Flagstaff,part of the City of Sedona, as well as several unincorporated areas ofsouthwestern Coconino County. Over his career, strategic planningand community building are core components of his approach to bringthe right people together at the right time to develop community-oriented results. Matt continues to work on many issues includingUrban Forestry, Proactive Wildland Fire Defense, Dark Skies, andShort-Term Rentals among many others.

Lena Fowler is Navajo of the Tódích’íi’nii (Bitterwater) clan and is bornfor the Naasht'ézhí Tábąąhá (Zuni Edgewater) clan and lives on theNavajo Nation in Tuba City, Arizona. Lena was elected in November2008 to represent District 5, a diverse district that includes: 7 Navajocommunities, City of Page, Greenehaven, Town of Fredonia and theGrand Canyon North Rim. Lena’s unique perspectives as an electedIndigenous woman allow her to communicate with and gain supportfrom all stakeholders.

P A T R I C E H O R S T M A ND I S T R I C T 1

J E R O N I M O V A S Q U E ZD I S T R I C T 2

M A T T R Y A ND I S T R I C T 3

J U D Y B E G A YD I S T R I C T 4

L E N A F O W L E RD I S T R I C T 5

Patrice Horstman moved to Flagstaff in 1972 to attend NorthernArizona University. After completion of her undergraduate degree,she attended law school at the University of Arizona and interned inWashington, D.C. for a subcommittee for the U.S. Senate JudiciaryCommittee. Patrice returned to Flagstaff in 1979, where sheco-founded the law practice of Hufford, Horstman, Mongini, Parnell &Tucker, P.C., focusing on Indian law, education law, employment law,municipal law, non-profit law, and healthcare law.

Judy Begay is a lifelong resident of Coconino County and elected inNovember 2020 to represent District 4. District 4 includes Doney Park,Sunset Crater, Winona, Country Club, Mormon Lake, Forest Lakes, Blue

Ridge, and the southern portions of the Navajo Nation. Begay has servedas a public school Board Member for 16 years in Tuba City, as well as

serval other non-profit organizations. Begay is experienced in themanagement and supervision of health programs, school administration;

facilities management, roads and infrastructure, and public housing.

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Properly classify STR as Class 1 property for properties rentedfor more than 120 days in a year with stays of less than 30 days.Provide an exemption for residential property owners that live inthe property for more than 60 days a year.

Create legislation to establish regulatory equity between traditionalhotels and investor-owned STR’s to mitigate the impact onresidential neighborhoods.

Economic development and public safety require wellmaintained transportation infrastructure, but the primaryresource for maintaining road systems in Arizona is notindexed for inflation and has not been raised since 1990.Transportation infrastructure continues to degrade asatrophying revenues fail to meet the maintenance andconstruction needs.

Property tax deferral statutes have not been updated since the 1990s.Qualifications to enroll in the program are very difficult to meet, with less

than 5 individuals enrolled in the program across the entire state.Legislation is required to allow for more property owners to qualify,

specifically elderly owners on a fixed income and disabled individuals.When a property owner qualifies for a tax deferral, the state treasurer

invests in the tax for that year. For example, if a property owner qualifiesfor 2021 property taxes, and the dollar amount is $2,000.00, the state

treasurer would send the county treasurer $2,000.00 for the taxes andtrack this as an investment.

High-speed internet, infrastructure broadband is a foundation foreconomic growth and global competitiveness, access to

education, and health care. Inadequate broadband access isimpeding economic development, leaving rural businesses andcitizens at a competitive disadvantage. We need legislation to

increase first mile and middle mile infrastructure across Arizona,expand access, and increase investment in regional planning.

B R O A D B A N DI N F R A S T R U C T U R E

S H O R T - T E R M R E N T A L V A C A T I O NP R O P E R T Y T A X P A R I T Y

T R A N S P O R T A T I O NI N F R A S T R U C T U R E

A L T C S C O S T S

D A N G E R O U S I N C O M P E T E N T & N O N -R E S T O R A B L E

Between FY19 and FY21 the county bill went up by over14%, a $37M hit to county taxpayers. It takes 20% of county primary property tax collections tocover the cost of mandated ALTCS payments in FY21, onaverage.

Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS) is a state programadministered by AHCCCS. Counties have no administrativerole in the program, they just pay the bill.

Establishes a state supported civil commitmentprocess for dangerous individuals charged with

crimes if they cannot complete the criminaljustice process due to being found incompetent

to stand trial and unable to be restored tocompetency.

P R O P E R T Y T A X D E F E R R A L S T A T U T E

D I V E R S I O N F U N D I N G

Additional funding is needed to provide more diversion andwraparound services for those who have addiction issues. There isbipartisan support for criminal justice reform at the legislature In thelast session, County Attorney’s worked with legislators and agreedthat a total of $11, 264, 625, divided amongst the 15 counties andACJC for administrative costs, each year over the course of threeyears would be a sufficient amount for each county to either enhanceexisting diversion programming or create diversion programming.

Ring was reelected as Coconino County Attorney in November 2020.He leads an office of 47 employees and has served for 20 years in the

County Attorney’s Office. Ring is admitted to the Supreme Court ofthe United States, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the District

Court of Arizona, and all courts in the State of Arizona.

Patty has worked in the field of elections and voter registrationadministration for over 33 years. Patty currently serves as theCoconino County Recorder. She was elected to that position in2012, 2016 and re-elected in 2020. Patty is a past president ofthe Arizona County Recorders Association. She currently serveson the Board of Directors for the Arizona Association of Counties.

Sarah Benatar has been serving as Coconino County Treasurer since2014, becoming the youngest County Treasurer in the history of Arizona.

Treasurer Benatar currently serves as President of the Arizona CountyTreasurer’s Association and 2nd Vice President of the Arizona

Association of Counties (AACo). She also serves on the board of theNational Association of Latino Elected Officials, as President of the

National Association of Hispanic County Officials.

A R M A N D O R U I ZC O U N T Y A S S E S S O R

B I L L R I N GC O U N T Y A T T O R N E Y

P A T T Y H A N S E NC O U N T Y R E C O R D E R

J I M D R I S C O L LC O U N T Y S H E R R I F F

C H E R Y L M A N G O - P A G E TC O U N T Y S U P E R I N T E N D E N T O F S C H O O L S

Jim Driscoll is honored to have served communities throughoutCoconino County for 47 years. He is an advocate for leadership and

innovation in law enforcement through technology, education andtraining, and response to emerging public safety issues such as the

mental health crisis. Jim is a graduate of Northern ArizonaUniversity, FBI National Academy, and Homeland Security

Executive Leaders Program.

Superintendent Cheryl Mango-Paget has been leading educationalinitiatives for 31 years. Prior to her tenure as superintendent, Cheryl hasworked for the Coconino County Education Service Agency as aProfessional Development Coordinator and Associate Superintendent.Mango-Paget earned her BS in education at Indiana University. She alsoholds a MS in Curriculum and Instruction and in School Administrationfrom Indiana University Purdue University of Indianapolis.

S A R A H B E N A T A RC O U N T Y T R E A S U R E R

V A L E R I E W Y A N TC L E R K O F T H E S U P E R I O R C O U R T

Armando Ruiz will begin his second term as Coconino CountyAssessor beginning in 2021. He was first elected in 2016 and has over18 years of combined public service. Assessor Ruiz currently servesas the President of the Arizona Association of Assessing Officers andis a current board member for the Arizona Association of Counties.

V a l e r i e W y a n t i s c u r r e n t l y t h e C o c o n i n o C o u n t y C l e r ko f S u p e r i o r C o u r t , a p o s i t i o n s h e ’ s h e l d s i n c e b e i n ge l e c t e d i n 2 0 1 5 . P r i o r t o h e r s e r v i c e t o t h e c i t i z e n s o fC o c o n i n o C o u n t y , V a l e r i e w o r k e d i n t h e N a v a j o C o u n t yC l e r k o f S u p e r i o r C o u r t ’ s o f f i c e f o r 1 3 y e a r s , i n c l u d i n gs e r v i c e a s a D e p u t y C l e r k a n d C h i e f D e p u t y C l e r k .

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L E G I S L A T I V E P R I O R I T I E S

E L E C T E D O F F I C I A L S

Jeronimo Vasquez is a long-time resident of District 2 and was appointedto the Board of Supervisors in February 2021. He previously served as the

21st Century Community Learning Center Coordinator at W F KillipElementary School in District 2. Sup. Vasquez is a graduate of Coconino

High School and Northern Arizona University. District 2 comprises thehistoric Southside community of Flagstaff, Sunnyside, and the Timberline-

Fernwood areas of the County.