Pima County hires new Elections Director

PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA – Acting Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher Monday announced the hiring of Constance Hargrove as the new County Elections Director. Hargrove has been the Elections Director of Chesterfield County, Virginia, since 2017. Prior to that she was the Deputy Registrar of Voters for Chesterfield from 2013-2017, and she worked for the city of Richmond, Va., for 16 years, leaving there as the Deputy General Registrar.

Chesterfield County has a population of about 350,000 and is southwest of metropolitan Richmond. It is a diverse county that includes small rural communities in addition to suburbs and exurbs of greater Richmond.

“I am deeply impressed with Ms. Hargrove and her experience and knowledge of modern elections systems, as well as her ability to adeptly manage elections expectations during these times of heightened scrutiny as to how elections are conducted in Arizona,” Lesher said. “I believe she will be an excellent Elections Director and a great addition to the County.”

Hargrove spearheaded the implementation of electronic pollbooks in 2011 for the city of Richmond and she implemented several emergency reforms in 2020 for Chesterfield County to reduce exposure risks for voters during the pandemic without lengthening voting wait times at the polls.

During her more than 20-year career in elections management, Hargrove has championed the greater use of technology to improve the voter experience and to achieve operational efficiencies and cost savings for Richmond and Chesterfield County.

“I am excited about the opportunity to serve the citizens of Pima County. Although I have worked in elections for many years, I am still learning and growing,” Hargrove said. “I feel honored to grow with the county as it implements new technology and ways of voting that will enhance the voting experience and I look forward to working alongside the staff and county officials as we continue to provide safe, fair, and efficient elections.”

Hargrove will start work in early April. She will be paid $147,000 a year.

And Now There Is War

By Elliott Pollack, The Monday Morning Quarterback

Over the past two years we have dealt with the effects of COVID, supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, inflation, unfilled service jobs, and rising home prices and rents to name a few. And now there is war. A madman with his finger on the nuclear button has decided to conduct an unprovoked invasion of a neighboring sovereign nation. Tensions are high and there is much uncertainty as to where this is going. As of the writing of this MMQ, talks are underway between Ukraine and Russia. The outcome of those talks is

not clear nor whether they represent a sincere effort on the part of Russia to end the war. The effects of the sanctions placed on Russia by the West amount to economic warfare, and they are significant, with a sharp decline in the value of the Ruble and the closure of the Russian stock market.

So, what does all this mean for our economy? No matter what the outcome is – whether Russia withdraws or continues its assault – it will take a long time to unwind the effects of the invasion. Energy, oil and gas, is the primary impact on the world and U.S. economies. Europe may take the blunt of the impact due to its dependence on Russia for fuel. For the U.S., we expect to see rising prices at the pump and this may continue for a long time unless alternative sources are found. Brent crude briefly rose above $100 per barrel for the first time since 2014 as Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. But many observers believe the price of oil will continue to rise and could hit $125 to $130 per barrel by the summer because of the war.

The cost of energy is pervasive throughout the economy, affecting manufacturing, the distribution of goods, and household spending. A rise in gas prices at the pump is essentially a tax on the consumer and often the most visible effect of inflation. The Ukrainian war will exacerbate the cost of gas beyond what was anticipated before the invasion. All this will likely lead to reduced forecasts of U.S. GDP growth for the coming year.

The invasion of Ukraine now casts Russia as a global pariah equal in stature to North Korea. The long-term effects of the invasion and doing business with Russia in the future will be sorted out in years, not months.

And now for some somewhat better news.

U.S. Snapshot:

U.S. GDP was revised upwardly to an annualized rate of 7.0% from 6.9% in last month’s estimate. The upward revision was due to higher than previously estimated non-residential fixed investment, state and local government spending, and residential fixed investment.
Consumer spending rose even as prices continued to climb, while personal income remained flat in January. The economy began the year strong despite the Omicron wave. The Ukraine conflict could slow growth and push prices (gasoline) even higher.
Consumer confidence fell in February as inflation concerns continued to affect the consumer’s psyche. The index was down 0.5% for the month but remained 16.1% above a year ago. Despite the slight decline, consumers remain confident about short-term prospects.
New home sales dropped more than anticipated in January. On a seasonally adjusted annual rate basis, January’s level of 801,000 sales declined from 839,000 sales a month ago and 933,000 sales a year ago. Demand for new homes is expected to remain strong as the low level of existing homes persists.

Arizona Snapshot:

According to the latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Price NSA Index, Greater Phoenix continued to lead the nation in home price growth for the 31^st consecutive month in December. Greater Phoenix saw an increase of 32.5% for the year compared to the 18.6% seen in the Composite-20. Tampa and Miami were the closest to Greater Phoenix, with a 29.4% and 27.3% increase, respectively.
Total taxable sales finished the year strong, with a combination of strong consumer purchases and higher prices. For the state as a whole, retail sales were up 23% and 24.2% in Maricopa County.

NAI Horizon adds to its Marketing and Research Team with hiring of industry expert Matt Feyereisen

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – NAI Horizon is pleased to announce the addition of Senior Marketing Specialist Matt Feyereisen to its Marketing and Research Team.

Feyereisen will work closely with NAI’s support services team to provide best-of- class marketing services to NAI’s agents and their clients. He will focus on increasing awareness and highlighting the company’s commercial real estate availability through social media and digital platforms.

“I am excited to welcome Matt to our team,” said NAI Horizon CEO/Designated Broker Terry Martin-Denning. “His experience in the industry, combined with his design skills and ability to proactively communicate, furthers our vision of building the strongest possible team to support our agents and their marketing efforts.”

Feyereisen possesses more than 20 years of experience in marketing and graphic design. He started his commercial real estate design experience in 2001 with Trammell Crow Company in Irvine, California.

His background also includes freelance work with CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, JLL, and Alliance Realty. He has spent close to 5 years at Commercial Properties Inc. before continuing his tenure at NAI Horizon.

“Matt’s history of graphic design in the commercial real estate market is a positive addition to NAI Horizon and will help move the company vision for excellence forward,” Martin-Denning said.