PebbleCreek Republican Club First Meeting of the Year

The candidates for Corporation Commission, Nick Myers and Kevin Thompson, with Republican Club President Sue Harrison

Camille Grabb

On Jan. 6, red tablecloths with “proud patriotic” centerpieces in the Tuscany Falls Ballroom welcomed the PebbleCreek Republican Club (PCRC) patriots to their first meeting of 2022.

The meeting began with a prayer. After the Pledge, there was a moment of silence to honor members who passed during 2021: George Benz, Jeffrey Fischer, Bob Williams, AJ Leta, Jim Lightner, and Georgia Lord. An additional moment of silence was for Ashli Babbitt and Rosanne Boyland, who were killed at the U. S. Capitol one year ago, and for those still imprisoned.

President Sue Harrison introduced over 18 local and state candidates in the audience running for elected offices this year. They came with petitions for members to sign, which would get them placed on the ballots. This time also gave the eager politicians a chance to mingle with many like-minded voters.

LouAnn Sedgwick, field director for the AZ Free Enterprise Club, shared the group’s plans for restoring election integrity in Arizona. This group is coordinating a ballot initiative, that requires 300,000 signatures on petitions, to have the AZ Voter ID Initiative placed on the ballot.

Congresswoman Debbie Lesko, for Legislative District 8, stopped in before she headed back to D.C. to update us on the happenings in the U.S. House of Representatives. Among her news, she mentioned that because of the last census, a redistricting change has PebbleCreek residents moving into Legislative District 9.

The evening’s 2022 election focus was the Arizona Corporation Commission. The main candidate speakers for the evening were Nick Myers and Kevin Thompson, who are running as a team. The third primary candidate, Kim Owens, could not attend, but her team was there to answer questions before and after the meeting. Moderator Vicki Streeter gave the candidates time to explain the commission’s responsibilities, why they are running for office, and why they believe they are most qualified to be elected. There were many questions from the audience, as well.

Coming up in February is the Thursday, Feb. 3 membership meeting in the Tuscany Falls Clubhouse ballroom. Social time is at 6:30 p.m., and the meeting is at 7 p.m. It will feature a panel of candidates for superintendent of public instruction: Kim Fischer, Tom Horne, Shiry Sapir, and Michelle Udall.

The Men’s Breakfast Club will meet in the Eagle’s Nest Dining Room alcove at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 8. RSVP to Doug Krause at [email protected].

The PCRC Women’s Luncheon will be held in the Eagle’s Nest Dining Room alcove at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9. RSVP to Social Chair Cindy Zaklan at [email protected].

For more information, check out the club’s website at www.pebblecreekrepublicanclub.com.