Pima County supervisors said Tuesday they will fill the vacant constable position in Justice Precinct 9 by December 17, with letters of interest due the day before Thanksgiving.

Constables serve eviction notices, orders of protection, court summons and subpoenas and assist in seizing court-ordered property. Since 2022, there have been at least two violent attacks on Pima County constables attempting to serve eviction notices, one that resulted in the death of the constable and two others.

In May, Pima County Superior Court Judge Kellie Johnson ruled that incumbent George Camacho, who was seeking a second term, failed to gather enough valid signatures to make the ballot.

Camacho submitted 611 signatures, but a lawsuit filed by Maria Lourdes Escalante, a voter in JP 9, revealed that 216 of those signatures were invalid.

During the verification process, it was discovered that some of the signatures came from people living outside the precinct, while others were not registered to vote at the time that they signed.

Two write-in candidates pursued the seat during the Democratic primary, but neither Gerard Acuña and John Escobedo received the required number of write-in votes to win the position and there were no candidates on the ballot in the General Election.

Interested parties must be registered voters living in JP 9 and be over the age of 18.

In addition to their letters of interest, applicants should also submit a resume, financial disclosure statement and conflict of interest form by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27.

The Justice Precinct 9 constable serves a community of 128,454, with County Administrator Jan Lesher writing in a recent memo that the position cannot be eliminated

“To eliminate the position of Constable …  the Board must also eliminate the position of (Justice of the Peace) for Precinct 9 and that elimination would go into effect at the end of the current term of office,” Lesher wrote, adding that both terms are up at the end of the year.  “Elimination of these positions would have had to have been done previously, in order to re-precinct or reassign the area that is currently Justice Precinct 9 to adjacent precincts and adjust the precinct boundaries to be effective in this election cycle.”

Democrat Renee Ann Garza won the JP 9 seat in the General Election, running unopposed after defeating incumbent Kendrick Wilson, so filling the constable position is the county’s only option.

In addition, the position has already been funded in the 2024-25 budget, and Presiding Constable Eric Krznarich has expressed concern that JP9’s workload will fall to the other constables should the position not be filled.

It’s unclear whether Acuña and Escobedo, the Democratic primary write-in candidates, will pursue the seat now that it’s once again up for grabs, but Supervisor Adelita Grijalva said during Tuesday’s meeting that candidates from any party can apply.

“We’re not tied to a political party on this one,” she said. “This is an open seat.”

She said that all candidates will be thoroughly vetted, including checks on education, experience, and criminal history.

“This presents a unique opportunity to serve and represent our community,” Escobed wrote in a July Facebook post. “My objective is to serve as a unifying figure for all precinct residents, irrespective of their political beliefs. I am dedicated to ensuring fair and effective representation for all.” 

Lesher wrote in the memo that the appointment will do much to avoid any undue burden placed on the other constables and allow for those in JP 9 to receive timely and appropriate service. 

Angelina Maynes is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and reporter with Tucson Spotlight. Contact her at angelinamaynes@arizona.edu.

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