Three newly elected members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors were sworn in on Monday, as chairman Thomas Gavin laid out his vision for the upcoming session that includes bringing back professional hockey to the Valley.
Mark Stewart, Katie Brophy McGee and former Congresswoman Debbie Lesko became the newest Republican members of the board of supervisors, joining Galvin and Democrat Steve Gallardo.
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“We aim to be a board of action, and I aim to deliver a consequential chairmanship that will achieve substantial results,” Galvin said during his speech Monday morning.
Some of those priorities include luring an NHL team back to the desert after failing to keep the Coyotes in Arizona.
"I’ve been talking to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman about my desire to see pro-hockey return to the Valley, he’s fully in support of that” Galvin told reporters. "The two questions here are who would be the owner and where would this building be?”
Galvin added the county is taking on this issue, and not the state government, because “we don’t have any provincial interest, we represent the entire Valley.”
Other priorities include a comprehensive review of Maricopa County’s election system, something that has unified support among the Republican board members.
"I think it was wise to contact the National Election Assistance Commission, I mean this is what they do, and have reputable companies review our system and if everything is great, fantastic, then I can out to my constituents and say listen I had this reviewed and I think everything is fine,” Supervisor Lesko told reporters.
The audit commissioned by the state senate to review the 2020 election found no fraud and cost the taxpayer millions of dollars.
Galvin also promised to put an end to the federal oversight at the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
"I don't think the voters and the taxpayers here are getting the bang for their buck and what we’re going to do, as I said in my speech, is work with our lawyers to see what we can do to address it,” Galvin said, adding that the "time has come for something to change.”
Other priorities include working with the Arizona Diamondbacks to address their expiring lease at Chase Field and cutting red tape and regulations to help ease the housing shortage.
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