Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has yet again filled a Democrat vacancy in the AZ state House, and in this case, for a second time. As the Arizona Globe previously reported, Jevin Hodge, who was himself appointed to replace the resigning Athena Salman, resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct while attending George Washington University. Hodge denied any wrongdoing but resigned to avoid potential damage to the party by the appearance of impropriety.
The board ultimately appointed Democrat insider Deborah Nardozzi, who ran election campaigns for several prominent Arizona Democrats, most recently Amish Shah. Shah is another Democrat House member resigning their House seat – this time, to run against Congressman David Schweikert (R-CD1) in the upcoming election. As an interesting twist, Jevin Hodge, whom Nardozzi replaced, also ran (unsuccessfully) for Schweikert’s congressional seat. The board appointed Nardozzi on Wednesday, returning the Democrat caucus to full capacity… for one day. Yesterday, April 4, 2024, Rep. Marcelino Quiñonez resigned, the sixth Democrat to leave the House this year.
In a House Democrat press release dated April 3. 2024, Nardozzi wrote, “It is an honor to be chosen as the next Representative for Arizona Legislative District 8, and I am committed to serving our community with integrity and an unwavering dedication to advocating for the needs of our constituents.”
Legislative District 8 encompasses a large swath of Maricopa County, including Tempe, Phoenix, Scottsdale, and the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community.
House Minority Leader Lupe Contreras (D-22) stated, “Deborah Nardozzi has been committed to the success of other Democratic candidates and issues for several years, in addition to her impressive small business career. Now we are thrilled to have her deep well of experience as part of our team for the remainder of the year, and for a very important part of our session.”
The County Board has been roundly criticized over its selections, especially in light of Jevin Hodge’s resignation. As an outcropping of that criticism, the legislature passed Senate Bill SB1278 on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, requiring county supervisors to fill legislative vacancies within ten calendar days after receiving the nominees from precinct committees. The bill’s sponsor, State Senator J.D. Mesnard (R-LD13), stated that he introduced the bill to combat the increasing time the council supervisors have allowed vacancies. He pointed to the month-long ordeal awaiting the appointment of Rep. Julie Willoughby (R-13) to replace expelled Rep. Liz Harris.
County supervisors defended their timing, blaming the delays on the background check process. However, Republicans dismiss that defense.
On March 19. 2024, after Hodge resigned, Rep. Jacqueline Parker (R-15) posted on X, “County Supervisors have been patting themselves on the back heartily for their self-imposed ‘vetting’ process when making appointments. Clearly, their process is crap.”
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