Election season begins for JP Court

Maricopa/Stanfield Justice Court will play a part in the 2018 election. The court is currently in Precinct 8 but is being reconfigured to Precinct 4. Seats are open for judge and constable.

Justice of the Peace Lyle Riggs is standing for re-election and, so far, is unopposed. Constable Bret Roberts has opted to run for the state Legislature, and three men have thrown their hats in the ring to replace him.

Riggs is running as a Republican. He first won election to the JP court in 2014 after his predecessor was removed amid scandal.

During his previous campaign, Riggs promised to restore the court to proper administration, ensure proper training of all court clerks, include all of Pinal County’s portion of State Route 347 in the Maricopa/Stanfield Justice Court and implement a specialty court. Now the Re-elect Riggs for JP Committee touts that after many months of work by local and county staff, the court was returned to local control in 2016; all clerks have at least one year of experience and have met or exceeded minimum annual training requirements every year; SR 347 will be included in the Precinct 8 effective Jan. 1; and a teen court program was initiated in 2016.

Riggs said that he is “grateful to serve the citizens of western Pinal County.” He also indicated that he looks forward “to the new challenge of integrating the additional cases that will come from the newly aligned precinct boundaries.”

Riggs is married to Veean Mayberry Riggs from St. David, Arizona. They have been married for 28 years, have four children, a daughter-in-law, and are expecting their first grandchild this spring.

For more information, contact [email protected].

Running for constable are Bill Griffin, Andre LaFond and Glenn Morrison.

Griffin, a Republican, retired in Maricopa a decade ago after 25 years with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in California, where he worked in corrections, patrol, special investigations and narcotics. He is a drug-recognition expert, served countywide on DUI task forces and child abuse investigations and holds an advanced Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) certificate.

Griffin is also a Master Gardener, completing the program at Maricopa Agricultural Center. He operated an organic garden at MAC and donated more than 900 pounds of fresh vegetables to the F.O.R. Maricopa food bank monthly for two years, which led to a community garden.

“Though I continued to donate time to the community garden, I became a contract investigator for the Department of Homeland Security,” he said. “Most of that work was done in and around Luke Air Force base.”

Griffin also volunteered at Maricopa High School, which led to a job as MHS security. He then became the truancy officer for the school district until budget cutbacks.

For more information, contact [email protected].

LaFond is a Democrat originally from Illinois. He works as a district security manager. He and his wife Kaylie have lived in Maricopa since 2014.

“I have spent the last 13 years in private law enforcement and moved out here as part of a promotion,” he said. “I am currently a district level security manager leading a team of investigators. I have fallen in love with Maricopa and hope to be able to serve my community as constable.”

Raised in the Chicago suburbs, LaFond is an Eagle Scout, as were his father and grandfather.

LaFond is also a U.S. Army veteran, joining the military after high school.

For more information, contact [email protected].

Morrison is running for constable as a Republican.

Born and raised in Tucson, Morrison has been a Maricopa resident since 2009. In 2011, he joined the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Posse, holding the rank of lieutenant, and is the posse’s lead firearms/Taser Instructor. He has been an NRA-certified firearms Instructor since 1998, an Arizona CCW instructor since 1999 and a law enforcement certified firearms instructor since 2012.

Since 2010 he has been active with the nonprofit AZ Precision Motorcycle Drill Team, whose mission is to promote motorcycle safety and safe motorcycling.

“I realized that instead of just having a job and making a living, I needed to make a difference,” he said. “When I found out that the Constable’s Office would be open, I realized that it is the perfect fit for me in terms of experience, temperament, dedication to public service and personal goals.”

Morrison’s business background includes training, technology, management and real estate. 

For more information, contact [email protected].