David Frisk

Pinal County

Virginia Ross

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David Frisk is no longer in the position of elections director and is no longer employed by Pinal County.

READ: Human error blamed for Pinal County election problems

As a result of discussions with the board of supervisors and county leadership, and in order to restore confidence for voters in the November election, Recorder Virginia Ross has resigned from her elected office and has been appointed elections director effective immediately, according to a release.

The Pinal County Board of Supervisors will hold a special session meeting at 11:15 a.m. Friday at the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, Administrative Complex, 135 N. Pinal St. in Florence to appoint a recorder to see out the remainder of Ross’s term, which runs through Dec. 31, 2024.

Ross, prior to being elected as the recorder in 2012, worked in the private sector for Fortune 100 and 500 corporations Ryder System Inc. and IBM as a certified project manager, telecommunications manager and senior contract negotiator.

Ross did not oversee the elections department for this primary election in her role as the county recorder. Ross was in charge of Pinal County elections in her first term in 2014 and 2016, but with the growth of Pinal County, and as a result, an increase in recorder responsibilities, an elections director was brought in to oversee the elections department from 2017. Since that time, the elections department has reported to county management, which is overseen by the Pinal County Board of Supervisors.

“As a board, we are deeply embarrassed and frustrated by the mistakes that have been made in this primary election, and as such, we are taking immediate steps to ensure the November election runs smoothly, as elections in Pinal County have historically done prior to this primary,” Jeffrey McClure, chairman of the board of supervisors, said in the release. “It is vital that we restore trust with Pinal County voters, and I can assure the community that there is no better leader to take control of our elections department than Virginia Ross. As a fellow elected official, I am grateful to Virginia for sacrificing her elected role to answer the needs of Pinal County.”

“Having been the recorder for Pinal County since 2013, this primary election has been a stinging experience for us all. I look forward to involving all stakeholders in Pinal County as we work together to finish this primary election, before immediately turning our attention to the November election,” Ross said in the release. “I also want to take this opportunity to publicly thank my staff in the Recorder’s Office, who have provided me such stellar support since I took office in 2013.”