Thomas Galvin becomes new chair of Maricopa County Supervisors

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors unanimously selected Supervisor Thomas Galvin to be the new chairman. Three new members were also sworn in including former Congresswoman Debbie Lesko, former state Senator Kate Brophy McGee and former Chandler City Councilmember Mark Stewart. Supervisors Galvin and Steve Gallardo are the only two returning to the Board.

The Board plans to tackle a number of issues, including election reform and keeping the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors plays a big role in elections, as they are responsible for overseeing in-person voting and tabulation of ballots in Maricopa County. Galvin joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss some of the Board’s plans for the year.

Galvin credited his emphasis on public safety and government fiscal responsibility to his win. He highlighted that his fiscal responsibility plan was “very simple; don’t spend more than you bring in.”

The Board plans to reform Arizona’s election process that Galvin said is still an issue.

“We’re still counting votes two weeks after election day,” Galvin said.

He would like to see 95% of Arizona votes tabulated on election night. Galvin denied that speeding up the tabulation process would affect the accuracy of vote tallying.

On the topic of sports, Galvin hopes to strike a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks to stay at Chase Field in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks have clashed with Maricopa County about the stadium’s quality and have considered moving.

“First priority is to work with the Diamondbacks to stay here at Chase Field,” Galvin said.

Galvin hopes to bring a hockey team to Arizona. The Arizona Coyotes played their last season in Arizona before transferring to Utah due to not having their own stadium. Galvin is confident he can accomplish this feat.

“I’m very confident; it’s going to take time,” Galvin said.