The Morning Blend
Welcome
Complete Media Kit
Herald/Review
BISBEE — With 28 candidates running for 11 Cochise County offices, Tom Schelling’s election office has been busy the past few days as candidates returned required documentation to meet Wednesday’s 5 p.m. deadline.
As Cochise County’s elections official, Schelling said the number of candidates was not unusual, especially the 12 people running for the county Board of Supervisors. That normally is a large field.
The next documentation he will check over will be the candidates finance records that cover Jan. 1 through June 30, which will be due by 5 p.m. on June 30.
 Cochise County Elections Officer Tom Schelling prepares to lock up candidate packets Wednesday at the elections office in Bisbee. (Mark Levy-Herald/Review) |
Here are the county candidates and information about their backgrounds.
Board of Supervisors District 1
Republican Pat Call, the 59-year-old incumbent who is now in his second term on the board, hopes to give the county four more years.
He is married to Trish, and together they have two grown children.
Call holds a bachelor of science degree. He first visited Sierra Vista while in diapers in 1951 when his father was stationed at Fort Huachuca. The family returned in the 1960s. He attended Buena High School. The family owns Pets West in Sierra Vista, which is now run by a manager since being a supervisor takes up so much of his time.
Call served for five of his 10 years on the Sierra Vista Planning and Zoning Commission as the chairman. He currently sits on the Governor’s Statewide Water Advisory Commission, the Governor’s Growing Smarter Oversight Commission and is an appointee to the Arizona Military Affairs Committee. He also acts as the county liaison to the Cochise County Recycling Committee, Fort Huachuca 50 and the Upper San Pedro Water District Organizational Board. He is a member of the executive board of the Upper San Pedro Partnership and is the organization’s vice chairman.
“I plan to use my experience and relationships in the capitol to keep the state from solving its budget woes on the backs of county taxpayers,” Call said. “As a general, broad-reaching goal, I have always strived to establish innovation, imagination and enthusiasm as the status quo in county government. I believe that we should always be looking for new and efficient ways of making government leaner and more responsive to the people it serves.”
Democrat Christopher Campas, the youngest candidate in the supervisors’ race at 19, is a Cochise County native living in Sierra Vista. His parents are Oscar and Yolanda Campas and he has two brothers, Oscar and Jeremy. He graduated from Buena High School in 2006 and attended the University of Arizona’s Honors College.
Campas has served on the Citizens Advisory Commission and the Sierra Vista Unified School District Financial Oversight Subcommittee. He also ran for the Sierra Vista City Council in 2006.
His goals, if elected, are the establishment of better stewardship of natural resources, comprehensive planning for future changes and build a more inclusive government.
Henry “Hank” Copeland, 56, has lived Palominas since 1991. He is separated from his wife, and he has two grown children.
Though he did not graduate from high school, he earned a GED and went on to junior college and a technical school. He said he has also spent several years studying the bad laws politicians put in place. Being self-employed, he sells magazines, synthetic lubricants and recycles metals and auto parts. He has not served in any capacity on any commission, committee or board nor has he been elected to any public seat.
If elected, the Democrat wants to eliminate county taxes on cell phones, land lines and bicycle parts. To make up for that lost revenue, he wants to initiate a special tax for all Fort Huachuca civilian workers who drive alone to the fort and enact a 20- to 30-cent fuel tax on all foreign-plated vehicles and foreign drivers. He also said he wanted to get all the roads in Palominas repaired to end the damage to vehicles on the washboard roads.
Board of Supervisors District 2
Democratic candidate Ann English, 66, has been married to her husband, Pat, for 43 years. They have three adult children and three grandchildren. She holds a master’s in education leadership from Northern Arizona University and a bachelor of science degree from New Mexico State University. She has worked as a teacher, vocational director and school superintendent.
English has lived in Cochise County for 44 years, and from 1985 to 1992 she served as an elected member of the board of supervisors. She was also appointed to the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission by former Gov. Rose Mofford.
Her goals, if elected, are be a liaison between the people in her district and county government regulations and processes.
“I want my constituents to know they can always call me, and I will help them try to solve their county government problems,” she said. “It is a big responsibility to be a taxing authority, and I want to make sure we the residents are getting full value for our tax dollars, and that growth in county government is carefully controlled and monitored. I want to work with the other elected officials and the county administrator to make efficiency and productivity a priority. I want to make sure our employees are paid appropriately for their responsibilities.”
Joe Green, a McNeal Democrat, is a divorced 61-year-old with three grown children and three grandchildren. He has lived in the county for six years. He is retired from the real estate profession as an appraiser. Work for him began as a farm laborer at the age of 12, and he continued in agriculture for a number of years.
As he entered the business world, he worked in oil production and nuclear power, serving as a union shop steward. During his many years in California, he was appointed to the Kern County Wildlife Resource Commission, was a Greenpeace activist and member, and served on a Kern County community outreach development committee. He is a high school graduate and took college-level courses.
If elected, he wants to bring jobs to the county in areas where industry would be welcome.
Water conservation is a big concern for him, and he would like to see less agricultural use of water. To help county employees, he would work to form either an employees association or allow them to join a labor union. He believes county employees need to have their grievances aired with a union representative than with department heads and the county administrator. He would also strive for changes in job classification and eliminate Hispanic racial discrimination that he says occurs frequently in the county when it comes to promotions.
On the ballot, his name will appear as Joe Green (Jose Verde).
Harvey Allen, 64, has lived most of his life in the county. He and his wife, Sandra, have been married for 42 years and together have had three children who have given them five grandchildren. Cook is a graduate of Valley Union High School in Elfrida and attended college at Eastern Arizona Junior College and Cochise College to study agriculture. He has owned and operated Allen’s Well Service for the past 33 years. He also worked in the Arizona Highway Engineering Department and for the Cochise County engineer.
His community service includes working with the 4-H Club, serving on the school board of Valley Union High School and was appointed to Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative’s board.
The goals of this non-partisan candidate, if elected, are to “preserve what property rights we have left” and work on water conservation so that people and agriculture can exists side-by-side. Then there’s the border, which he would work to secure.
“I’d like to cut taxes, too,” he said. He’s realized that until he gets into office, he won’t know the full scope of county problems, though he did believe the county departments were too heavily staffed.
“I don’t see a need for so many people,” he added.
Matthew Allen “Matt” Cook is a 62-year-old, non-partisan candidate who has been married for 10 years to his wife Ginger. Though he has no children of his own, Ginger’s daughter has graced them with twin grandchildren. He moved to Bisbee in 1993 and currently works for the county as a registered sanitarian and environmental specialist for the southeastern corner of Cochise County. He served with the U.S. Army in Korea during the Vietnam War. He holds a bachelor of science degree and did some graduate work at MIT. He also holds a master’s of education in instructional media.
He has worked for the county for 14 years and has seen the issues employees and the public face.
“I want to see justice for people who work for the county and for the residents. I will offer transparency in givernemnt so the citizens know what’s coming and can talk to me about before I vote. I understand how people feel the ciounty government is non-responsive. I want to change that,” he said.
Charles Flanagan, 54, has been happily married for 34 years. He is currently the director of the Correctional Education Division, as well as the program co-chair, Administration of Justice Studies for Cochise Community College, serving Cochise and Santa Cruz counties. He earned a degree in English language and literature from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where he finished up the last of his 14 years as a professional classical dancer in the U.S. and Europe. He is also a certified public manager through the CPM Consortium and Arizona State University.
Flanagan retired with more than 20 years of correctional experience from the Arizona Department of Corrections. He began his career as a correctional officer, and rose through the security ranks to administration, working at 4 large prison complexes in all custody settings, ultimately serving as Warden for seven years at two of those prisons. One of those complexes was named Large Business of the Year twice during his tenure by the Community Economic Forum.
n his final two-plus years with ADC, he served as an assistant division director and Work Force Development Bureau administrator, with the responsibility to manage all of the Academic Education, the Arizona Correctional Industries and contracts with seven Community Colleges providing work-based education programming at all 10 ADC prisons and the Arizona Correctional Industries.
Flanagan is a past member of Kiwanis, past president of Douglas Lions, past board member of Habitat for Humanity in Tucson, past member of Arizona statewide MADD Board, past member of the Community Reintegration Coalition, current Board Member of the Cochise Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Arizona Community Foundation, as well as other local organizations.
“I can make a difference by focusing on our future. There is success in reaching across party lines and finding common-sense solutions. I am committed to make a difference and serve others,” Flanagan said.
Flanagan is a long-term resident of Double Adobe and said he was asked by many involved people throughout the county to run for this office and restore effective representation of the community.
Board of Supervisors District 3
Incumbent Republican Richard Searle, an unmarried 53-year-old, has lived in the county since 1971 and grew up in Pearce Townsite. He has three grown children.
After graduating from Valley Union High School, he attended Western New Mexico University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in science and business management. Later, he attended Western States School of Banking at the University of New Mexico and the Commercial Lending School and Graduate Lending School at the University of Oklahoma.
Searle worked as a banker for 14 years. With his background from living on a ranch, he has been self-employed in the agricultural business and resides on a small pistachio orchard near Cochise. He also serves on the Valley Union High School Board.
His goals, if re-elected, are to establish a county recycling program and expand road maintenance options to rural residents.
“A third goal, via the Cochise County Health Department, is to find some way to expand the rehabilitation options to residents that are not currently in the legal system. Although we have active law enforcement efforts working on the illegal labs and drug dealers, and there is rehab for those arrested, there is still missing valid rehabilitation programs for individuals who have not been caught. I believe until we can deal with this problem on all fronts, it will continue to be a huge and costly problem for Cochise County,” he said.
Democratic candidate Sharon Thomas is a sixth-generation St. David resident. She has lived in the San Pedro Valley for 20 years and has two teenage children.
Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree in education and has taught at the middle school, high school and college levels. She has worked in business management for 10 years, ran her own business in Sierra Vista for seven, and currently teaches in the Sierra Vista school district and at Cochise College. She graduated from both Cochise College and the University of Arizona.
As a founding member of St. David Residents for Rural Life, she was part of a drive that successfully fought the incorporation push in St. David in 2005.
“As Cochise County supervisor, I will respond to your concerns and fight to protect our quality of lIfe. I will contain density to urbanized areas, protect our rural areas and natural resources, keep our air and water clean, clean up our dumps and landfills, and bring clean industries to our county,” she said.
Republican candidate Bob Everett is 53 and has been a resident of the Benson area for 12 years. He has a grown daughter who lives in California.
Everett is a Realtor whose specialty is relocation. This is his first try for public office.
He did not give any information on his education but did serve 17 years in the Air Force Reserve in the military serving in Bosnia, Saudi Arabia, Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
He earned an honorable discharge in 1998.
Everett has been in every state in the United States and 15 different countries. He worked as South West Region Manager for UUNET/WorldCom from 1997 to 2002, where he was a field service engineer and managed the installation of hardware for the backbone of the Internet for five states.
“When elected, I will work to bring a recycling plant to Cochise County. I am working with a client who owns property in Douglas and wants to purchase near Bowie and Benson for the installation of three solar power plants. I want to protect the rights of people as long as it does not affect the rights of their neighbors; some examples would be health, noise and smell,” he added.
Republican Pamela Harlan is an Arizona native who spent much of her childhood in the St. David area. She has been married for 26 years to her husband, Dave, and the couple have one grown child and two grandchildren. She attended St. David High School, Durham Business College and the University of Arizona.
Harlan has managed several successful Southern Arizona businesses. She has served on the San Pedro Valley Humane Society, Cochise County Tourism Council, San Pedro Valley Chamber of Commerce, Arizona and San Pedro Business and Professional Women, Butterfield Overland Stage Days Committee and Miss America Scholarship Pageant System, to name a few.
“Our rich ranching heritage doesn’t need to be preserved. Quite the opposite,” she said. “Agriculture needs to be protected from those who wish to preserve it into nonexistence. Some areas wish to remain remote and rural and focus on natural or agricultural aspects, while others deem the expansion of jobs, tax base, health care or school systems through growth and development to be critical. With our ample groundwater supply, along with the proper management of over 6,200 square miles of area, all of this is possible,” she said.
County Sheriff
Three men have filed paperwork for the county sheriff race: Norman “Norm” K. Bradley, Bill Cloud and Larry Dever.
Bradley, 65, a Democrat, is currently under contract for consulting with law enforcement/Homeland Security and intelligence. He attended Mesa Community College and did correspondence courses with the University of Maryland for the equivalent of two years.
Cloud, 39, a Republican, is a former state police detective. He resigned from his position to run for sheriff. He has completed some college, as well as numerous police supervision and management training courses.
Dever, 56, a Republican, is the current Cochise County sheriff. He has served 12 years as sheriff and 20 years as a deputy sheriff. He attended University of Arizona, Brigham Young University and San Diego State University.
His emphasis was on English and criminal justice.
Election dates
• June 4 (5 p.m.) — Deadline for filing as a candidate in Primary Election.
• July 25 — Last day to file as write-in primary candidate.
• July 31 — Early voting begins for primary election.
• Aug. 4 — Last day to register to vote in primary election.
• Aug. 6 — Last day for nonpartisan candidates to file nomination paperwork for general election.
• Aug. 22 — Last day to request a primary election ballot by mail.
• Aug. 29 — Last day to vote at an on-site location.
• Sept. 2 — Primary election
• Sept. 25 — Last day for general election write-in candidates to file.
• Oct. 2 — Early voting for general election begins.
• Oct. 6 — Last day to register to vote in general election.
• Oct. 24 — Last day to request a ballot by mail.
• Oct. 31 — Last day to vote at on-site location.
• Nov. 4 — General election
Herald/Review reporter Shar Porier can be reached at 515-4692 or by e-mail at shar.porier@bisbeereview.net. Herald/Review reporter Jonathon Shacat contributed to this story.
Bob Everett wrote on Jun 9, 2008 6:04 AM:
I did leave out the education.
Bob Everett attended Orange Coast, Goldenwest and Fullerton Colleges. He Majored in public relations with a minor in Police Science. Everett was also enrolled in the Community College of the Air Force for 14 years.
Thank you,
Bob Everett "