Patrice Horstman — Coconino County District 1 Newsletter — 2021: A Retrospective

On January 4, 2021, I was sworn in as your Coconino County District 1 Supervisor. I took my oath of office amid a worldwide pandemic that resulted in the closing of businesses and government offices, creating virtual classrooms to educate our kids, and masking and social distancing. The economic outlook was bleak, and we were all trying to adjust and cope with this new reality.

There was a bright light on the horizon as modern science, with lightning speed, developed a vaccine to fight this virus. In fact, on the day of my swearing-in, Coconino County Health and Human Services (HHS) administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in our County. HHS launched a Herculean effort along with its medical partners to get this vaccine in residents’ arms as quickly as humanly possible. One year later, I can proudly report that Coconino County and its partners have administered over 200,000 vaccines, and 70% of our residents have been fully vaccinated. More work needs to be done to vaccinate our community, and the County has continued its commitment to public health education, vaccine clinics, booster distributions, and COVID testing.

An active summer monsoon season brought relief to our drought-ravaged forests. This monsoon season brought a record-breaking 200-year rain event that resulted in massive post-wildfire floods, especially in the 2019 Museum Fire scar area. These devastating floodwaters wreaked havoc in many neighborhoods in Coconino County and within Flagstaff. Coconino County, the City of Flagstaff, and its community service organizations were there for our residents throughout it all. Together with other municipalities and local nonprofits, the County provided up- to-date information, set up emergency operation centers, provided shelter, and gave financial assistance to some of our more vulnerable residents. The County staff and Board of Supervisors (BOS), with the assistance of Representative Tom O’Halleran and Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema, applied and received emergency federal funding for watershed restoration and flood mitigation for the most heavily impacted areas. We also received approximately $7 Million for further watershed restoration and flood mitigation. Projects we hope to commence before our next monsoon season.

Last year was also a year of substantial change within County management. Long-time Supervisor Liz Archuleta accepted a position in the Biden administration. After public input, the BOS appointed Flagstaff educator Jeronimo Vasquez to fill the District 2 seat. The Board filled the County Manager position by looking to past expertise and hired former County Manager Steve Peru to guide the County through the troubled waters. The BOS also filled a vacancy in the County School Superintendent’s office with its former deputy, Cheryl Mango Paget, and promoted Sue Brown to Deputy County Manager. Fresh faces and seasoned veterans working together for a vibrant Coconino County.

The BOS grappled with zoning, ARPA funding, redistricting, economic development, social safety net needs, public lands, 4FRI, forest restoration and management, parks and recreation, a court backlog, renewable energy, balancing the County budget while providing our hard-working employees with a much- deserved salary increase, and addressing a myriad of needs and services for our community. As Charles Dickens astutely noted, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times .”2021 was a year filled with both challenges and accomplishments. Throughout the last year, I have done my best to live up to my oath to discharge the duties faithfully and impartially as your supervisor for District 1. I look forward to a better 2022 and working with you to make an even better tomorrow for us all.

There will be many challenges and opportunities coming forward in 2022. Here is a short look ahead:

• COVID-19
  • Maintaining COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites, providing community information, and responding to public health needs.
• American Rescue Plan Act
  • Creation of Mental and Behavioral Health Division in HHS.
  • Open Public Private Partnerships with local nonprofit organizations to meet the needs of our vulnerable residents.
  • Youth and Behavioral mental health services in our County schools.
  • Establish a new Superior Court Division to address mental health and substance abuse.
• Four Forest Restoration Initiative
  • Work with the U.S. Forest Service and Flagstaff Ranger District to meet the new goals set by Chief Randy Moore and protect our communities against devastating wildfire.
• Flood Mitigation
  • Construct long-term flood mitigation to reduce the devastating impacts of flooding to communities in the Museum Fire scar area.
• Zoning
  • Confront the challenges from development and growth in our County, especially glamping and short-term rentals.
• Renewable Energy Ordinance
  • Prioritize the implementation of a renewable energy ordinance to confront the challenge of climate change at the local level.
• Balanced Budget
  • Exercising fiscal responsibility to the meet needs of our County residents.

I want to thank the District 1 representatives who serve on the Coconino County Planning and Zoning Commission, Mary Williams and Sat Best and the Coconino County Parks and Recreation Commission, Daniel Hiel and Howard Brown. Lastly, I would like to thank my outgoing District Director, Julian Wolff, for his service to District 1. He will be dearly missed.