KINGMAN – Kingman resident Becky Foster announces she will seek the Republican nomination for the position of Mohave County Assessor.

Foster served as a Mohave County Supervisor in the original District 5 for two terms prior to the board again being reduced to three members in 1991. She spearheaded the countywide move to a five-member board which was approved by a vote of the people.  She was elected to the newly formed fifth district in 1984.

“I was not considering a run for any office; however, several people have, for the past few months, encouraged me to run due to what appears to be a widespread dissatisfaction with the current Assessor.”

“One of the considerations I had in making the decision was the difficulty of running against an entrenched politician,” remarked Foster. “And, the other was the short amount of time left to run a successful and well-organized campaign; I ultimately decided it would be worth the effort.”

She reiterated that she is still in the signature collection phase of the campaign and is seeking signatures for her nominating petition.  “It is easy to sign my petition by going online to the Secretary of State’s E-qual website or I will be going to events and door to door for signatures and to meet voters,” she said.  The link to the online petition is: https://apps.azsos.gov/apps/election/eps/op/

She may be reached at 702-327-1664.

Foster stated that not having experience as a county Assessor is not a hindrance. “Every elected Mohave County office, with few exceptions such as the justice system, have no specific qualification requirements other than basically being of voting age, being a registered voter and living in the district that you are running in,” she explained.

All the county statutory offices are, for the most part, an “on the job training experience” for newly elected officers according to Foster.  What the voters must consider is whether the person is a good fit, will discharge the duties of the office in an honest and professional manner and, of course, the sum of a candidate’s work experience and background.

“A bit of subjectiveness is necessary in order to determine who will be the best fit for the position,” she said. “Does their knowledge, skills and abilities give them the ability to function effectively early on? Do they have a strong work ethic? Are they trustworthy? Are they accountable and transparent?  Do they inspire others? Are they true leaders?”

She further stated it is important that, while running in a partisan race, once elected your partisanship should be put aside once you are in office.  Elected officials represent and work for everyone, not just one political party.  Foster stated she will follow her values from the time she was a County Supervisor and work diligently for all people in the county regardless of their political persuasion or whether they supported her.

Foster has solid conservative values and a strong work ethic.  She is dependable, reliable, trustworthy, accountable, dedicated, positive, goal-oriented committed and loyal as well as a self-starter.

Her goal is to inspire employees in the office of the Assessor by example. The Assessor’s Office has many good, hard-working employees and they deserve a pleasant and professional work environment (devoid of politics) in order to serve the people of Mohave County who fund the office with tax dollars.

“When employees are enthusiastic about their jobs and look forward to coming to work, they produce better results,” remarked Foster.

Foster said she has always enjoyed bi-partisan support and hopes that will continue in the current political environment. Many Republicans, while remaining conservative, have left the party to register as Independent. It appears that the fastest growing segment of the voters in Mohave County are Independents.

“I prefer bipartisan partnerships and problem solving,” she said. “It is important that all sides are heard on all issues and that everyone is represented regardless of party,” declared Foster.

She described herself as a “committed Conservative Republican” who respects the rule of law; supports law enforcement and veterans; and believes “we are better served with a less intrusive government and the wise use of tax funds.” She said the wise use of tax funds for her will start in the Assessor’s Office.

“While I am a Republican, I am not defined by that label.  I am also a free thinker – thus, I am not a blind follower, I detest power seekers and those who seek to consolidate power in a small group of people and who believe it is their way or the highway in order to get where they want to be,” she said. “I also do not like labels because they are confining and do not do justice to the whole person.

During her tenure as a County Supervisor, the Bullhead City and Lake Havasu City airports were dedicated as well as the first bridge crossing the Colorado River in Bullhead City. Additionally, tax rates were consistently lowered most years, she said.

* In both Arizona and Nevada Foster worked as a licensed Realtor® and also took classes at the University of Arizona in appraisal methods while working with local appraiser Glenn Chapman with the intention of eventually becoming a licensed property appraiser.

* Owned/operated Anytime Transcripts, a legal transcription business which produced official transcripts of civil and criminal proceedings for Clark County Courts until closing the business to run for County Supervisor.

* Graduated from Prescott College with a BA in Business Administration and minor studies in Journalism.  She interned with The Arizona Republic as a Prescott College student.

* Worked as acting personnel director for Mohave County, personnel director for the Hualapai Tribal Council (under the auspices of a Federal Office of Personnel Management Grant), as a freelance writer and as a radio news director.  She currently is a contributing writer (stringer) for The Standard Newspaper providing various general interest articles and is a published writer in various publications including The Arizona Republic and Music City News. 

* Foster is currently writing a book about the 1973 Doxol Explosion in Kingman.

*  She has numerous awards and has volunteer experience as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), donated time as a general volunteer with KRMC, briefly with Mohave County Volunteer Sheriff’s Posse, as well as several political campaigns.  She is an elected Republican Precinct Committeeman and State Committeeman.

* Foster was a charter member of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition as well as a county-wide Coordinating Recycling Committee.