Arizona-Maricopa County races

By Jon C. Altmann

jon@jonaltman..com

Distributed by Media News Services Exclusively to American Freedom

Some of Maricopa County's lesser races are shaping up as no contests for some, for others, a rival of some old names.

County Supervisors

Recently former Phoenix District 3 Councilman Bill Gates will have no opponent in his race to replace retiring County District 3 Supervisor Andy Kunasek.  No one else of any party is running.  Only Maricopa Supervisor District 1 will have a Republic versus Democrat race in November with GOP incumbent Denny Barney facing off with Democrat Matthew Cerra.

JP races - Desert Ridge, Moon Valley may be heated races

The Justice of Peace (JP) races bring back some old family names.  The position pays $101,500 annually and the JPs are part of the elected officials retirement system.  In the Arcadia Biltmore JP race, Lenore Driggs, wife of LD28 State Senator Adam Driggs, is now the sole candidate after both the Republican and Democrat challengers withdrew from the race.  Driggs is a graduate of Arizona State University and holds an Arizona Provision Elementary Education license.  Adam Driggs is not running for re-election to the Legislature and is returning to full-time law practice.

The Desert Ridge race may be hotly contested this year with incumbent Clancy Jayne is facing three Republican challengers in the primary.  One of them, Cathy Riggs, an Arizona native, holds a law degree and has been a police officer and police academy instructor.  She is married to former Republican California Congressman Frank Riggs.  An independent, Keith Evans, is also on the ballot.  Evans is a practicing attorney and Navy Reservist who has donated time to help homeless veterans.  The other Republican is Jeff Schapira, who has run against Jayne in a previous election.

The Moon Valley JP race is an open seat.  Former State Representative Carl Seel is on the ballot running against Andrew Hettinger.  Hettinger, a BYU graduate and graduate of the University of Texas - Austin Law School.  Hettinger is married with a four-year-old. Known to this writer, while Seel was walking one Phoenix neighborhood for signatures, he knocked on the door of a Democratic Party consultant.  The consultant related to me that Seel apparently did not have a walking list.  Regardless, Seel has secured a ballot spot in the primary.

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