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Special Meeting Minutes Friday, May 05, 2023 10:30 AM BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Maricopa County, Arizona (and the Boards of Directors of the Flood Control District, Library District, Stadium District, Improvement Districts and/or Board of Deposit) "The mission of Maricopa County is to provide regional leadership and fiscally responsible, necessary public services to its residents so they can enjoy living in healthy and safe communities” Board Members Clint Hickman, Chairman, District 4 Jack Sellers, Vice Chairman District 1 Thomas Galvin, District 2 Bill Gates, District 3 Steve Gallardo, District 5 County Manager Jen Pokorski Clerk of the Board Juanita Garza Meeting Location Supervisors' Auditorium 205 W Jefferson Phoenix, AZ 85003 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS The Board of Supervisors of Maricopa County, Phoenix, Arizona, convened in Special Session at 10:30 AM on Friday, May 5, 2023, in the Supervisors' Auditorium, 205 W. Jefferson Phoenix, AZ 85003, with the following members present: Clint Hickman, Chairman, District 4; Jack Sellers, Vice Chairman, District 1; Thomas Galvin, Supervisor, District 2; Bill Gates, Supervisor, District 3; Steve Gallardo, Supervisor, District 5. Also present: Juanita Garza, Clerk; Jen Pokorski, County Manager; Andrea Cummings, Legal Counsel; Kelly Gardiner, Minutes Coordinator. ACTION 1. APPOINTMENT FOR LEGISLATIVE STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 13 Pursuant to A.R.S. § 41-1202, receive the names of the three qualified electors as candidates to fill the vacancy for the Legislative District 13 State Representative seat as determined by the Legislative District 13 Precinct Committeemen and appoint one of the candidates from the list to fill the vacancy created by the expulsion of State Representative Liz Harris. The three candidate names submitted by the District are: Liz Harris Julie Willoughby Steve Steele (C-06-24-002-X-00) Chairman Hickman opened the meeting and thanked Assessor Eddie Cook and Sheriff Paul Penzone for attending the meeting. Chairman Hickman read the agenda item and asked for a motion. Vice Chairman Sellers thanked the Board for their patience and support during this process. He commented briefly on the procedure and the interviewing of the three candidates provided by the Legislative District 13 Precinct Committeemen. During the interviews, Vice Chairman Sellers asked each candidate their views on important issues that concern Maricopa County citizens. He stated it is the Board’s duty to appoint a representative to serve until the next election in 2024 and the Board takes this Special Meeting Minutes Friday, May 05, 2023 Page 2 of 2 responsibility seriously. The circumstance of this appointment is slightly different in that the removed member that created the vacancy is also one of the candidates for appointment. Vice Chairman Sellers said he respects Ms. Harris’ position and her right to pursue legal remedies that are available under the law. He added that the Board must also consider the 46 House members who made a choice, by a two-thirds vote, to create this vacancy. Motion to approve the appointment of Julie Willoughby to fill the Legislative District 13 State Representative seat by Supervisor Jack Sellers, seconded by Supervisor Thomas Galvin Supervisor Gallardo spoke and acknowledged that this has been a difficult decision and he appreciated Supervisor Sellers due diligence in this matter. He said it is natural to disagree on some subjects related to the Legislature. However, he said one thing we all need to agree on is that the elections are safe, secure, accurate, and transparent. Thousands of people have worked hard on the past two elections, and it is important to set the record straight. He would like the three candidates to acknowledge the truth about the elections and results. He stated that the Board of Supervisors have done a courageous job of representing the County and standing up for the truth and believes it is important for the legislative representatives to have the political courage to say the elections were safe, secure, and accurate. Supervisor Gates said thank you to the Chairman and to Supervisor Sellers for the work he has done. He stated it was a very important process and he was glad to have people reach out to him for clarification so they could better understand the procedure. Chairman Hickman said he had the opportunity to speak with Speaker of the House, Ben Toma, after the names were handed down to the Board. This meeting helped Chairman Hickman with the perspective of timing on this process. He thanked Supervisor Sellers and the candidates who showed up for interviews and answered questions. He also thanked the County departments, County Attorney, and Human Resources for their diligence in this process of vetting the candidates. Ayes: Clint Hickman, Jack Sellers, Thomas Galvin, Bill Gates Nays: Steve Gallardo MEETING ADJOURNED There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned. ______________________________ Clint Hickman, Chairman of the Board ATTEST: ____________________________ Juanita Garza, Clerk of the Board