Two Arizonans, one a mayor and the other a long-time county leader, are awaiting confirmation of their appointments to that state’s Transportation Board.
Gov. Doug Ducey named Jenn Daniels and Richard Searle to the Transportation Board last week. Daniels, the mayor of Gilbert, will represent Maricopa County on the board. A member of the Gilbert town council since 2009, Daniels has previously served on regional board like the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and the League of Cities, as well as the Maricopa Association of Governments Regional Council, where she was the chair of the council’s Transportation Policy Committee.
“Solutions to today’s transportation challenges will require creative and forward-thinking ideas and plans, advocates, collaboration, and a commitment to future generations,” Daniels said. “I am committed to keeping fiscal responsibility and integrity at the forefront of everything we do.”
Searle, a leader in the Cochise County, will represent Cochise, Greenlee, and Santa Cruz counties. Searle has been involved in transportation issues since serving on the Cochise County Board of Supervisors in 2005. For 11 years, he held transportation planning roles at the county at the city, county, and state levels. Additionally, he developed policies to improve road maintenance in the county. He has also been a member of various other organizations like the Arizona Cattle Growers Association, American Pistachio Growers Association, Western Bank, and the Cochise County Farm Bureau.
“I appreciate the opportunity to represent Southeastern Arizona on the Transportation Board and am honored by the appointment,” Searle said. “Priorities would include not only making sure transportation issues in Cochise, Greenlee, and Santa Cruz Counties are addressed but also helping ADOT deal timely and efficiently with the challenges statewide. I look forward to learning how I can be a part of making long-lasting changes that improve how we handle transportation in Arizona.”
If approved, the board members will join five other Arizonans and serve a six-year term. Transportation Board members address the state’s transportation needs, authorizing projects, and funding across the state. In addition, the board develops the state’s Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program.