The Marana Town Council once again has seven members after last week’s regular session.
By way of a five-to-one vote, the council appointed John Officer to fill the vacant seat on Tuesday, April 17. Councilmember Roxanne Ziegler was the lone dissenting vote.
Ziegler said that Officer was one of the most qualified applicants for the seat left open by the passing of Carol McGorray, but that others were more qualified for the position. Officer was one of eight applicants that told the council, at a public hearing, why they would be a good fit for the job.
Former Councilmember McGorray died on March 22, and filling her seat is a short appointment, as McGorray was up for re-election later this year. Officer unsuccessfully ran for town council in 2016, and is currently in the running to keep the seat to which he was just appointed.
Marana Mayor Ed Honea said Officer was the best applicant for the job because of his continued involvement in the town.
“None of the other candidates have I ever seen in a council meeting,” Honea said. “John’s here every week.”
Officer is actually Honea’s neighbor, but the mayor said two of the other applicants, Jack Neubeck and Thomas Dunn, are good friends of his.
Besides showing up regularly at council meetings, Officer is on the Marana Planning and Zoning Commission. He also served on a Parks and Recreation Commission while Marana was establishing its general plan.
A 20-year resident of the town, Officer is an aqueduct maintenance supervisor for the Central Arizona Project, where he’s worked for 30 years. He’s also owned a weed control business since 1996—and he’s passionate about volunteering and serving his community.
“Volunteerism is what makes you feel good as a person,” he said.
Apart from participating in many town forums over the years, Officer volunteers with his church and local Boy Scouts. He also hiked the Arizona National Scenic Trail, and now does volunteer maintenance on it.
Among the other applicants was Bill Garner, who served as an Oro Valley council member from 2008 to 2016. Garner, who moved to Marana a year and a half ago, said he wasn’t interested in running for a full term but wanted to offer the council his expertise until voters had a chance to choose a long-term candidate.
Another candidate, bankruptcy lawyer Wayne Mortensen, ended his bid to the council by saying that if they don’t choose him, he endorses Officer for the seat. The two applicants have known one another since 2003, and happened to realize they were both applying for the seat while catching up after church the Sunday before.
Among the eight applicants who spoke at the council meeting, only one was a woman, local business owner Lisa Bowers. Retired mental health pharmacist Pamela Youngberg also applied but didn’t speak at the council meeting.
“All nine people that applied have phenomenal resumes, offering expertise in different fields,” Honea said. “I was truly impressed with the group of people that want to be involved with the town of Marana.”
As of April 23, no one but Officer was running for the next full term of his council seat.
Read this story and more at tucsonlocalmedia.com.