Constituents crowd Rep. Eli Crane's Prescott office to meet US House freshman

Voters from across Arizona's massive 2nd Congressional District crowded Thursday a small office near the famous courthouse square in Prescott to shake hands and take pictures with their new representative in Congress, Rep. Eli Crane.

Crane, R-Ariz., is just months into his first term representing the newly redrawn district, which is shaped a bit like an apostrophe, starting in the low desert south of Phoenix, widening east to the New Mexico border, then north to Utah and curving back west over Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon.

The 150 or so people who visited the Prescott field office showed the diversity of that territory, asking for assistance with a host of issues, from veterans benefits to a stock that was subject to a trading halt.

David Drye and Scott Beck came from the tiny community of Crown King high in the Bradshaw Mountains and 26 miles from paved roads. They are members of the board of the community fire department and were there to thank Crane for sending his chief of staff earlier in the week to tour the area to better understand their public safety issues.

The firehouse doesn't have indoor restrooms, and the department with four full-time firefighters and a handful of volunteers finds itself strapped on busy weekends when visitors come for horseshoe and cornhole contests, or to bounce around the popular four-wheel-drive routes.

"We have to do something," Drye said. "Maricopa is growing and they keep coming."

The board has secured a $1 million grant and helped pass a $1 million bond to help with a new firehouse, but they still need more equipment, and the community needs help with roads and possibly even a presence from law enforcement to help with the crowds.

Eli Crane, a former Navy SEAL, getting out in his district

Crane, 43, was a member of the Navy SEALs, having left the University of Arizona to enlist after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He was deployed five times in his 13 years of Naval service, three of them with the SEALs.

He and his wife have two daughters and live near Tucson. They launched a business called Bottle Breacher, which they later sold, that appeared on the television competition show "Shark Tank." Crane also served as a brand ambassador for Sig Sauer firearms.

Crane immediately drew unfriendly attention from many in his own party in January when he was the last freshman holdout among a small group of Republicans who refused to vote for California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker.

It took 15 votes for McCarthy to secure the spot, and Crane never voted for him, simply voting "present" on the final vote.

Paiute leader hopeful for reservation

San Juan Southern Paiute President Johnny Lehi Jr. was at the office to thank Crane for reintroducing legislation that would create a reservation for Lehi's people in Arizona and Utah.

The tribe won federal recognition in 1989 and in 2000 signed a deal with the Navajo Nation to create a 5,400-acre homeland, but the treaty needs to be ratified by Congress.

Democratic Rep. Tom O'Halleran, who Crane defeated last year, had introduced the legislation when the northeastern corner of the state was his district before the boundaries were redrawn.

"We've been waiting more than 20 years," Lehi Jr. said of the reservation. "We are really proud it is getting pushed through."

Crane said he reviewed the legislation and found it made sense and was easy to support. Lehi said he was thankful Crane visited the region.

"I told him, I have ancestors buried up there," Lehi Jr. said of the need for the reservation.

Lehi Jr.'s father signed the agreement with the Navajo Nation in 2000. Lehi Jr. said he hopes to finish the deal while his grandmother is still alive to see it.

"The elders who fought for it, most of them are gone, waiting for it to get ratified," he said.

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Supporters say Crane is reflecting their priorities

Luke Cilano was waiting in line to just say thanks to Crane for doing what he promised voters he would do once he got to Washington: fight for them.

"He's doing exactly what people want him to do," said Cilano, who visited with fellow board members from the Lions of Liberty.

The group, which Cilano described as a religious organization, was involved in monitoring ballot drop boxes in Yavapai County last year, but stopped amid a lawsuit.

Crane's refusal to vote for McCarthy was one of the things he liked about Crane, he said.

"In redistricting, we lost our guy Gosar," Cilano said of Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., whose 9th Congressional District now spans the west side of the state. "But we got Eli. He is phenomenal."

The event was scheduled to run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., but the deep line of voters that arrived before the start was just thinning out as 8 p.m. approached.

Crane took a seat once he'd listened to the final constituent.

Asked what he heard that stood out most to him in the last three hours, he didn't hesitate.

"The thing that stuck out to me today was the guy that prayed with me," Crane said. "I just thought that was really cool. He didn't come here to talk politics. He came here because, like me, he believes that faith is important. And that meant a lot."

Reach reporter Ryan Randazzo at ryan.randazzo@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4331. Follow him on Twitter @UtilityReporter.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Freshman US Rep. Eli Crane welcomed by constituents at new office