Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Appointments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board appoints Ben Emery as temporary Seligman Justice of the Peace amid notice concerns from a rival candidate
Summary
The board appointed Ben Emery to serve as temporary Seligman Justice of the Peace until the November 2026 election after staff described standard press-release distribution; another applicant, Robert Flanagan, told the board some rural residents said they did not receive timely notice of the vacancy.
Supervisor Cooknell explained the vacancy in the Seligman Justice Court following Judge Sarno’s resignation and said one candidate, Ben Emery, had applied to serve through the November 2026 election. Communications manager David McAtee said the county distributed a press release to about 63 addresses including local and regional media and that notices were run on local radio and in print; McAtee acknowledged that outreach in remote communities can be harder and offered to expand the distribution list.
Robert Flanagan, another candidate, said he learned about the opening only the day before the application closed and said county postings had not reached remote communities such as Ashfork and Seligman. Flanagan asked the board to improve outreach (including social media and community pages) for future postings. Several supervisors acknowledged the concern but said the board had followed an approved schedule and noted letters of support received for Emery from local officials.
Supervisor Cooknell moved to appoint Ben Emery to the Seligman Justice Court for the interim term; the board voted unanimously to confirm the appointment. The appointment will last until the winner of the November 3, 2026 general election takes office.
