Replacement picked for state Senate seat

Some contest Carlyle Begay’s LD 7 residency

The Apache County Board of Supervisors has chosen a new state senator to represent Legislative District 7 in northeastern Arizona.

Carlyle Begay was selected to replace Sen. Jack Jackson Jr., who accepted a newly created presidential appointment in the U.S. Department of State as liaison to Native American tribes on environmental issues.

But the transition may not be a smooth one.

Democratic Rep. Albert Hale, who served in the Senate before reaching his term limit and moving to the House, is questioning whether Begay meets the residency requirements to serve District 7. Hale had sought to fill the Senate seat himself and was among the three finalists.

Begay, a Democrat, has lived in Gilbert for several years and currently serves on the town’s volunteer Industrial Development Authority Board. But he has told other media that he has maintained an address in Apache County. He did not return a call seeking comment.

Hale, an attorney, said he interprets state law as requiring Begay to have lived in District 7 for a year before becoming a senator.

“And it was only July 22 when he changed his voter registration to Apache County,” Hale said.

Hale said he has received e-mails, calls and text messages from “numerous people” concerned about the residency issue. He said there is a 10-day window for someone to challenge Apache County’s appointment, and he expects someone to do so.

“Maybe it will be me, maybe someone else,” he said. “Based on the questions I’ve been receiving, it’s a concern. What it comes down to is there are two senators from the Gilbert legislative district and none from LD 7.”

Begay is vice president and chief development officer for the Phoenix-based American Indian Health Management and Policy, an Indian-owned consulting company focused on improving healthcare services for American Indians.

According to LinkedIn, Begay also serves on the state Democratic Party’s Native American Caucus, on the board of directors for the Greater Arizona Development Authority and on the community advisory board of the Center for American Indian Resilience. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona and a master’s degree in health-sector management from Arizona State University.

Jackson said he’s known Begay for a while and is excited he was selected.

“I think he’ll do a good job,” Jackson said. “He’s already reached out to me, and I hope he might have an opportunity to address some of the issues I was addressing.”

Jackson said he hopes Begay will continue work to return some of the state sales taxes collected on reservations to those tribes and to direct some state funds toward the issue of alcoholism on and around reservations.

“I think it’s something he would want to continue to address,” he said. “He’s always been very in tune with what’s happening not only on the Navajo Reservation but throughout the other tribal communities as well. I think he has a good sense of the needs.”