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“Just when you think you is what you is, you find out you ain’t.”

This was told to me many years ago by a close friend. It means to stay humble and not let pride get in the way. It is so true when it comes to public service. Remember all “you” do is done with the public’s money. Fear the fact that if your ego starts running away, God will put you in check.

Keep a servant’s heart and look all men in the eye with respect no matter what station the world says they are in. Know that all you have can be lost in an instant. We only get so many days on this earth to make a difference, make every one count.

EVER GROWING GOVERNMENT

You may have heard politicians say that government needs to run like a business. Nothing could be further from the truth. The goal of business is to grow and make a profit. Government’s impact should be limited, taxing just enough to provide the services not offered by the private sector. To limit government growth, I am in favor of farming services out to the private sector and ensuring robust oversight on request for proposals. As your District 4 County Supervisor, I also intend to maintain my commitment to listening and representing the will of the people.

WATER

Some politicians say Yavapai County has no oversight on water use because it’s a state issue. This is untrue. We can require new developments to plant native trees and vegetation that are naturally drought tolerant. We can educate the commercial and residential communities about ways to conserve water by encouraging rainwater harvesting and we can allow private water companies to use step billing for high water users. As your District 4 County Supervisor, I will focus on what we can do to conserve water in the region.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Growing up in Yavapai County, I experienced how hard it is to earn a living. Jobs based on tourism typically don’t pay well, so we need to develop new ways to bring light industry to the region that will pay competitive wages. As your District 4 County Supervisor, I intend to take the lead in coordinating the efforts of all partners to bring better paying jobs to the area as a win-win solution for enterprises and wage earners.

THE SECOND AMENDMENT

I have always been a strong supporter of our inalienable right to keep and bear arms. I am a shooter myself and a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. While serving on the Prescott City Council, a group of citizens demanded the city ban “Assault Weapons”. Below is the video of my response to them. Not only did we deny their request, after the discussion it seemed they left a little wiser on why this Constitutional right needs to be defended. As your District 4 County Supervisor, I pledge to keep up this fight against future attempts to diminish our Second Amendment rights.

PUBLIC SAFETY

In a county as large as ours, ensuring the Sheriff’s Office has adequate funding for public safety is not just essential, it is a priority. County leadership should be ready to listen and respond to the County Sheriff’s requests, as needed. As your District 4 Supervisor, I intend to support those who help to protect us.

ROAD CAPACITY

Population growth has exploded over the past ten years and our road infrastructure has not been keeping pace. As your District 4 Supervisor, I intend to pursue more state and federal level funding for construction, expansion, and maintenance throughout the County.

ROAD CONSTRUCTION

Instead of bidding out individual projects we should bundle them. Many quality companies will not bid on $2-3 million individual projects because mobilization costs are too high to make it worth their while. If we bundled multiple projects together, the economic benefits would increase interest in proposals and make the bids more competitive. This would result in better quality roads and lower taxpayer costs. As your District 4 Supervisor, I intend to hold contractors accountable to quality construction because I care about receiving value for the taxpayer dollar.

THE COURTHOUSE PLAZA

The Courthouse Plaza has been the hub for all sorts of activities for decades, attracting locals and tourists from all over the Southwest. Events such as Acker Night, Prescott Frontier Days ^TM, and The Bluegrass Festival are vital economic drivers not just for the County but for the entire quad city region. Recently, changes in fees and the way many events are managed threaten to push out local groups and make some events economically non-viable. The County needs to lead the effort to make sure our local non-profits, organizations, and vendors are not priced out in favor of those from out-of-town. As your District 4 Supervisor, I will work to re-establish local quality events and vendors that showcase the unique aspects of Yavapai County which make the Courthouse Plaza so attractive to both locals and tourists.

WORKFORCE HOUSING

Available and affordable workforce housing is an increasingly concerning issue. A University of Arizona study showed that in 2019, 55% of Yavapai County residents could afford a home. Today, that number stands at 22%. We need a robust discussion to flush out fresh and creative ideas to solve this housing issue or the region will continue to struggle to find folks who can provide basic services. Like many of you, through hard work and investing, I now live a comfortable life. Unfortunately, for young families, home ownership seems like an unattainable dream. As your District 4 Supervisor, I am ready to probe options to start the conversation.

THE DAY PRESCOTT BECAME MY HOME

It was 1978 when I arrived in Prescott. My mom’s asthma wouldn’t allow another Chicago winter, so my dad took early retirement and moved us to Prescott. The lack of pollution and mild climate was what mom needed to feel better. The house in Chicago was not selling, so money was tight. We rented a twenty-eight-foot trailer in the mountain club and knew that Christmas was “gonna” be very lean.

I was thirteen and an only child who wasn’t used to not having friends and family around during the holidays. We always had a nice artificial tree with three generations of ornaments, but this year all of it was in storage because the tiny trailer had no room for a tree. Dad tried to make the best of things and bought a twelve-inch tree, but it wasn’t the same.

One morning in early December, out of pure boredom and loneliness, I picked up a tennis racket and ball and walked through a couple inches of snow to the old armory on Gurley Street. I smacked the ball against the practice board a couple of times until I came to my senses about trying to play in the snow. Feeling defeated and alone I started my trek home. I paused at the Christmas tree lot the Lions had set up in the Whataburger parking lot. I can’t tell you what was going through my head, but it must have shown on my face. The man working the lot came up to me and said: “Hello, are you looking for a tree?” I said “No.” and told him about my family’s situation. We talked for about five minutes and as I started to leave, he said: “Wait a minute, you forgot this!” He then picked up a 6-foot tree and gave it to me. I told him I had no money, but he insisted I take it.

Excitement ran through me as I thanked him and headed home with this beautiful gift. I got all the way to Cortez Street before my mom found me. I had been gone quite a while and she had come looking for me. The smile on my face was immediately contagious and she listened to my story as we did our best to stuff this tree into the back of our Chevy Nova. We got it home and set it up under the awning of our little trailer. We then went to the Yellow Front store and bought a string of lights and some cheap ornaments.

My first real tree was a beautiful sight glowing out there and the warmth it brought inside the little trailer hit the spot. I often wonder if that man at the Lions lot knew what he did that day. It was the day that Prescott became my home.

His spirit of giving became a part of me and showed me that one man can make a difference in the lives of others. Merry Christmas Prescott!

AN EXPERIENCED CONSERVATIVE WHO IS NOT AFRAID TO LEAD

My family and I settled in Prescott in 1978 and I graduated from Prescott High School with the class of ‘84. In my youth, I am pretty sure I worked almost every job in Prescott trying to earn a living. I’ve been a shoeshine boy on Whiskey Row, a clerk at J.C. Penney, a hamburger flipper at Wendy’s, a television master control operator, a radio DJ, an underground miner, a construction laborer, and a factory worker.

In the summer of 2000, I co-founded Patriot Disposal with a friend by putting a mortgage on my house and buying a used trash truck and a semi-load of garbage cans. Over the next seventeen years we used innovation and community involvement to become the leader in trash hauling and recycling. We were the first to offer a real curbside recycling service to Prescott Valley. We were also the first to run environmentally friendly natural gas trucks. We developed Smart Stream recycling which reduces the number of trucks needed by 50% and we designed a processing facility that increased the diversion rate by 400%. In 2017, I sold my shares to my partner so I could pursue other interests.

My service to the community has been long-term and varied.