Clint Hickman, the newly-elected chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, said county government’s job in the coming year will be to make Maricopa County a place “where prosperity lasts and democracy flourishes.”

At the annual “Passing of the Gavel” ceremony, Mr. Hickman said his primary focus will be on the 2020 election cycle.

“The integrity and success of our elections is my #1 priority in 2020,” Mr. Hickman said. “Because of our partnership with the Recorder’s Office, we will have bipartisan oversight of elections not seen in Maricopa County in more than 50 years. In addition, the Board has invested millions of dollars to make sure we have the right personnel and updated equipment to allow people to have the voting experience they want and deserve.”

A new elections operations agreement between the Board of Supervisors and the Recorder’s Office gives the Board responsibility for election day activities, as outlined in state statute. Previously, the Board had delegated its election duties to the Recorder according to a 1955 charter.

Another change this year: there’s now an executive-level position inside the Elections Department reporting directly to the Board.

“When something happens, or there are key decision points, the Board needs to know about it, and our residents need to know about it,” Mr. Hickman said. “Making sure people know what we’re doing and why we’re doing it is vitally important for our democracy, so we’ll be holding more public meetings and releasing detailed plans to the public, as we did recently with the first-ever Election Day and Emergency Voting Plan.”

Beyond elections, Mr. Hickman said he wants to build on momentum from previous years in creating an environment where businesses can grow and current and future residents can find good jobs. He listed among the successes a moratorium on government rules and regulations; a training series for local merchants called “Vendor University;” and several programs and initiatives which provide second chances and job connections for incarcerated individuals.

“In total, we’ve been able to direct approximately $1 million in federal workforce funds to job training efforts here in Maricopa County, which doesn’t just help justice-involved individuals, it also helps the community,” Mr. Hickman said. “Fewer repeat offenders means lower jail costs. And more people with jobs means a stronger economy. All of it leads to safer communities.”

Mr. Hickman has served on the Board of Supervisors, representing District 4 in the West Valley, since 2015.

He takes over as chairman from Bill Gates, who continues to serve as supervisor of District 3 in the North Valley.