County supervisor to retire
MOHAVE COUNTY – Only one member of the current Mohave County Board of Supervisors will not pursue re-election next year. Chairman Hildy Angius and supervisors Buster Johnson, Jean Bishop and Ron Gould have each confirmed they’ll seek four-year terms in 2020.
The exception is Gary Watson. The District 1 incumbent elected in 2008 to begin his first term in 2009 has held office for almost 11 years. He said the forced exit of a long-tenured Mohave County Superior Court Judge triggered his retirement contemplation.
“I was thinking about it probably a year ago. Oddly enough it was about the time that Judge (Steve) Conn was required to retire at age 70. It got me to thinking a little bit about the unfairness involved in that as I’ll be 72 at the end of my term,” Watson said. “There’s so many things I’d like to do, yet this job is 24-7, seven days a week, 365 days a year. So, I’ve got some priorities I’d like to take care of.”
Watson said by no means will he be a lame duck during his last 17 months in office. Completion or near completion of each component of the courthouse addition and remodeling campaign is his number one goal.
“I want to see that finished and obviously I want to make sure that the remodel portion of that gets taken care of also,” Watson said. “Another thing on our plate is the animal control shelter and it’s going to be on our agenda again soon.”
Watson said two sites have been identified as possible locations to build a new shelter to replace the dilapidated facilities operated in downtown Kingman. Watson said one location in the vicinity of the old National Guard armory near Interstate 40 in downtown Kingman seems to have too many infrastructure, topography and cramped space challenges to be viable.
Watson said he instead supports building the new shelter on county-owned property on Burbank Street, in the area of the district library and Kingman’s Centennial Park.
“It’s close to the library. It would also lend itself to being a central location for the adoption of animals within the city of Kingman and it’s also central to Mohave County,” Watson said. He added use of that space would leave room for a five-acre lake proposed on the same parcel.
Watson said he is aware of water related concerns associated with the lake, but noted city recharge at the “Green Hole” site should replenish any evaporation loss from the lake surface, notwithstanding substantial additional basin augmentation the city will achieve with its reclaimed waste water well injection project. Watson said he supports the lake and hopes that the City would commit to the project conceived some four years ago to improve community amenities and livability.
Kingman City Manager Ron Foggin, however, in a July 30 memo, indicated he believes the city should stall its consideration of the lake until next summer when data from water supply studies is available for review.
As prospective candidates surface to succeed Watson, he said he intends to stay neutral and not endorse any of them, though he will answer their questions and provide guidance if asked, when appropriate. He said he is making an exception for Bishop and is wholeheartedly supporting her bid for re-election.
