Maricopa voters who will help call the hottest races in Pinal County Nov. 5 heard a final campaign season pitch from candidates as elections officials prepare to send early ballots starting Wednesday.

To meet those candidates and ask them questions, Province was the place to be yesterday afternoon.

About 50 people turned out to hear and talk to candidates for Pinal County and legislative district offices at a political event in the community’s town hall. 

The event was organized by Republican advocates and Province residents Terry and Rebecca Clark. She emceed the event that allowed each candidate to share a two-minute campaign pitch on stage. Then, candidates were sent to voter roundtables for intimate eleventh-hour stumping.

Sheriff hopefuls spar in final stretch

Perhaps the most contentious race is between Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Ross Teeple, a Cactus Forest Republican, and Maricopa’s first police chief Patrick Melvin, a Cobblestone Farms Democrat, in the race for county sheriff. 

Teeple argued Melvin’s career has been wracked with personnel tensions during his stints as a top cop. 

“One hundred percent of the deputies do not want my opponent to be their next boss,” Teeple said of Melvin. “In law enforcement in Arizona, his treatment of his employees is very well known. His experience here in Maricopa, we still remember it.” 

Teeple said PCSO contracted out with the city of Maricopa in the “Metro Division” when Melvin joined the ranks 16 years ago. It was then Teeple said he learned of Melvin’s reputation among PSCO deputies who dealt with him.

Pinal County Deputies Association has endorsed Teeple with a 97.3% vote of confidence, he said, while Melvin was 100% not supported. 

He said when Melvin went on to become chief of Salt River Police Department, he brought about the same morale issues “because of how poorly he treated his employees.” 

Sheriff Mark Lamb was a deputy for Salt River at the time. 

He said he has experience managing budgets and discussing them with elected bodies, adding he has leadership and administrative experience that Teeple does not. 

Melvin said he takes leadership “very seriously.” 

Asked how he thinks he can be elected sheriff in a red county, the Democrat Melvin told InMaricopa he’s cognizant it’s an uphill battle but remains optimistic. 

“I never back down from a challenge,” he said. “I wouldn’t be in the race if I felt I didn’t have something positive to give.” 

Melvin, who served 21 years with the Phoenix Police Department, some of it with internal affairs, calls for an “audit” of Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, which he says he’s done in the past with other police agencies he has led. 

Teeple admitted he’s a political newcomer but wholeheartedly accepted the challenge when his boss, Sheriff Lamb, urged him to run and endorsed him. That was long before Lamb ran a belly-up bid for Kyrsten Sinema’s (I-Ariz.) vacated U.S. Senate seat against former Phoenix TV personality Kari Lake, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump.  Lake now faces U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) in the general election. 

Sitting Dem attacked for SR 347 record

Casa Grande businessman Chris Lopez is attempting to bump Democratic incumbent Rep. Keith Seaman, who made Legislative District 16 a swing district with his surprise win in the 2022 midterm. The freshman lawmaker gave the district split House representation — one Republican and one Democrat. 

Rep. Teresa Martinez (R-Casa Grande) and state Sen. T.J. Shope (R-Coolidge) are running a ticket with Lopez, whom they said they hope will boot Seaman from office come Election Day. 

A former teacher, principal and superintendent in Mohave County for 40 years, Seaman pledged support for State Route 347 improvements funding.

Martinez on Sunday said Seaman was “fibbing” when he told the Province audience he fully supported state funding to make multimillion-dollar improvements to SR 347, the city’s only direct link to the rest of metro Phoenix. 

She said Seaman voted with Democrats to prioritize state road improvement funding for Maricopa County projects, skipping over SR 347. 

“This is where he’s fibbing,” Martinez said. “Everyone got an allotted amount. I got $20 million, T.J. got $30 million. Seaman got $20 million. I spent all my money on the route, $19 million, the 347, to widen it and to surface Casa Blanca and Cement Plant Road.” 

She said of Seaman’s $20 million: “It all went to the great state of Maricopa County. No money of his went to Maricopa. So, he’s trying to take credit for the funding of 347.”  

Seaman’s midterm win surprised many in the reliably red LD 16. 

Martinez calls herself the “347 queen” because of her leading role at the State Capitol holding the Arizona Department of Transportation accountable to keep SR 347 projects on the map. 

Lopez, a native of Casa Grande, owns and operates his family concession business, which provides rides for the carnival at the Arizona State Fair and elsewhere. 

Supe de jure

Also attending the political event were George Arredondo Sr. (D-Coolidge) and Rich Vitiello (R-Maricopa), duking it out for control of Kevin Cavanaugh’s (R-Coolidge) Pinal County Board of Supervisors seat in District 1, which contains the city of Maricopa.

An area rancher and a Navy Reserve veteran who served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Arrendondo reiterated as he has throughout his campaign that democracy is under siege in Pinal County at the hands of the GOP. He said he also wants to ensure county growth is managed responsibly and that county services are reactive to residents’ needs. 

Arredondo worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency for 18 years and said he knows the farms and ranchers around Maricopa. 

“I know the district and I know the county,” Arredondo said. “I was born and raised here.”

“I was very influential on 347 and very influential on the overpass,” Vitiello touted, alluding to the John Wayne Parkway railroad overpass.

Vitiello said he traveled with former Maricopa Mayor Christian Price and others to help push major road and highway improvements at the state level.

“I’m willing to do that with anyone else in Pinal County,” Vitiello said. 

One victory came early

Patricia Glover was there yesterday to introduce herself to the audience. She ran unopposed as justice of the peace for Western Pinal Justice Court in Maricopa. 

The county board of supervisors last week appointed Glover to fill the seat that was vacated in February, so she could expeditiously move forward in taking her place on the bench.

Monica D. Spencer contributed to this report