District 4 Supervisor Judy Begay and District 2 Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez. Courtesy photo.
COCONINO COUNTY — In their return to regular in-person meetings on Tuesday, August 22, 2023, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors (Board) began by electing a new Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson to lead the Board through the remainder of their current session.
In two unanimous votes, Supervisor Judy Begay from District 4 was elected Vice-Chairwoman and Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez from District 2 was elected to serve as Chairman. This will be each Supervisor’s first term serving in these leadership roles.
Chairman Vasquez was first appointed to the Board in February 2021 to fill the vacancy left by long-time Supervisor Elizabeth C. Archuleta’s departure to serve in the Biden Administration. He was then elected in November 2022 to serve the remainder of that term through 2024. He is a long-time resident of Flagstaff, graduating from Coconino High School and Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor’s degree in Botany and Master’s in Social Cultural Anthropology. Prior to serving on the Board, he worked at Killip Elementary School for 14 years managing special projects and facilitating before and after school programs.
“This is a tremendous honor for me to serve as your Chair,” Vasquez said after receiving the gavel. “I want to thank Supervisor Horstman for her mentorship and guidance as I served as Vice-Chair, she set the example for leadership of the Board. I look forward to continuing that leadership for Coconino County.”
Vice-Chairwoman Begay was first elected to the Board in 2020, after serving over 16 years as a public school Board Member in Tuba City, as well as several other non-profit organizations. She also has experience in management and supervision of health programs, school administration, facilities management, roads and infrastructure, and public housing.
“I would like to express my thanks to my colleagues for their faith in me to take on this responsibility,” she commented. “It is an honor, and I will do my best to help Chairman Vasquez and my colleagues on the Board.”
Outgoing Chairwoman Patrice Horstman, who served in that role since February 2022, congratulated her colleagues on their achievements, and looks forward to continuing to serve the people of Coconino County and District 1.
“Needless to say it has been a great honor to serve as your Chair and to continue to serve Coconino County,” she said. “We have a great team, and I am truly looking forward to Chairman Vasquez’s leadership in moving the Board forward.”