Who's running for the Central Arizona Project board? 14 candidates seek 5 open seats

If you’ve driven Interstate 10 from California east into Phoenix or on roads in the northern and eastern part of the metro area, you’ve probably seen the Central Arizona Project Canal, which stretches 336 miles from the Colorado River to Pima County.

But you may be less familiar with the people who oversee the canal, a critical source of water for residents of three Arizona counties. The Central Arizona Water Conservation District runs the massive delivery network, and its 15-member board of directors sets policy for the district.

The board not only oversees operation and maintenance of the canal, it sets water rates for the customers, mostly cities, that deliver CAP water, and sets and collects property taxes in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties. If you own a home, you’ve probably seen that tax on your bill.

The board’s attention has turned increasingly to the drought-stricken Colorado River and its two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, where dwindling water levels have forced the system into a second year of shortages.

In Arizona, the CAP has absorbed almost all of the shortages so far, which means the district continues to face tough decisions about how to manage the water that continues to flow through the canal. So far, most of the losses have hit farmers in Pinal County, but if shortages deepen, the board could find itself facing further cutbacks.

Every other year, five seats on the board — which includes members from Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties — open up for election to six-year terms. In 2022, all five of the seats on the ballot are for Maricopa County representatives.

Incumbents Alexandra Arboleda and Ben Graff are seeking reelection, while Jennifer Brown, Jim Holway and Mark Lewis are not. That means at minimum, the board will include three new members come January.

The board slate, which is nonpartisan, is usually near the bottom of ballots. Voters are asked to choose up to five people in the race.

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Here are the 14 people seeking a seat on the board and some information about each, some of it from questionnaires collated by the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, Arizona State University’s Kyl Center for Water Policy and the Arizona Hydrological Society:

Ylenia Aguilar has served on the Osborn school board and is the Arizona communities business development manager for Source Global, a company that works in water development, providing drinking water on the Navajo Nation and in other underserved communities.

“I have seen how aridification has disproportionately impacted our rural, tribal and agricultural communities,” she said in her questionnaire. “We know that water is sacred and needed in order to survive in Arizona, whether it’s access to clean drinking water or water to shower … We should also enhance water conservation and create supplies that will last for future generations.”

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Alexandra Arboleda is a water and natural resources lawyer with the TSL Law Group. She was first elected to the CAP board in 2016 and is seeking a second term. She has served as secretary of the board.

“My extensive background working on Arizona’s water challenges allows me to develop innovative and collaborative solutions for water conservation, efficiency, reuse, and augmentation so that we can continue to thrive in this arid environment," she said. “Forging a sustainable path forward that protects the Colorado River and balances water conservation with economic growth and fiscal responsibility is a top priority.”

Lisa Bullington is a real estate attorney who has worked on growth- and water-related issues. She said Arizona has a “truly remarkable legacy of wise water management,” but more is needed to meet the challenges of the river’s shortages, including enhancing conservation, better using reclaimed water, continued recharge of aquifers and protections on groundwater.

“As a long time resident who grew up going to Lake Powell, I feel passionate about the need for good water policy that protects ground water, utilizes our recharge facilities and promotes water conservation, all the while protecting Arizona's CAP allocation,” she said.

Alan Dulaney, a hydrogeologist, was Peoria’s water policy administrator until he retired in 2019. He has also worked for the Arizona Department of Water Resources, evaluating water supply applications, and for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, working on hydrology programs.

He said the Colorado River has reached “a tipping point. Arizona, and Maricopa County in particular, could lose massive amounts of water delivered via the CAP canal, due to our junior status.” The board needs members with regulatory and technical backgrounds to make difficult decisions, he said, or economic repercussions may result. He also believes the board should work to recover some of the Colorado River water stored underground and prepare to use it.

Shelby Duplessis is president of land development for the Empire Group of Companies and works closely with cities on residential and commercial projects to plan for future growth. She is a civil engineer, with a background in infrastructure design and public works.

“I will utilize my background and experience to engage with the many stakeholders and municipalities in the Valley and Maricopa County to help determine and implement the best water management practices and conservation solutions,” she said. Decisions should be made with awareness of farmers’ needs to grow and supply crops, while working on delivery methods that help prevent water loss to evaporation and runoff.

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Ben Graff is an incumbent board member seeking reelection. A land-use attorney for Quarles and Brady in Phoenix, he has experience in issues related to water demands across Maricopa County. He served previously on the Arizona Board of Regents.

During his first term, he worked on negotiating the Drought Contingency Plan that has helped CAP deal with shortages on the Colorado River. “I never doubted Arizona's Colorado River water supply was the most pressing challenge facing Arizona's future and my experience on the board has further cemented my dedication toward working with our tribal, municipal, industrial, and agricultural water users to identify and implement the solutions needed to secure and stabilize our water supply,” he said.

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Jason Lundgren is a chiropractor who is running for a seat on the CAP board on a slate with three other hopefuls. They have pledged to focus on protecting taxpayers and farmers, citing threats from land developers and outside interests.

“We have pledged to represent the taxpayer above the municipalities and developers, and to protect our allocation of the Colorado river water from extremist groups,” according to a statement on the candidates’ website. “It’s time to elect intelligent, level headed board members without an agenda and without an allegiance to anyone but the taxpayer.”

Cory Mishkin runs a family-owned real estate brokerage and grew up on a family farming operation, where he “saw the importance of water for agriculture industry.” He said he brings real-world experience from his work in business and in nonprofit ventures. He said his experiences have shown the importance of better using water resources and finding new sources to ensure future growth.

“As an Arizona native whose life has been shaped around real estate and agriculture, I know how important water is to our way of life in this desert,” he said on his questionnaire. “Without continuing the efforts of those who have gone before us to ensure that all Arizonans have the water they need we will start down a dangerous path that will lead to central Arizona becoming less and less productive and prosperous.”

Amanda Monize, an educator, is running on a slate with three other candidates who are focused on accountability and the protection of taxpayers and farmers. She described the CAP board seat as “is arguably one of the most impactful on our daily lives.”

“Ensuring the delivery of water through the CAP canal system is only one of the responsibilities of the board,” she said. “The greater duty falls on the board’s ability to levy taxes and set rates for said water delivery." She also said she believes "it is time for the Colorado River Compact to be amended to reflect our efforts, resulting in an agreement where allocations and cuts are balanced among the basin states.”

Donovan Neese is a civil engineer who has worked more than 20 years in the water industry. He is superintendent of the Roosevelt Irrigation District, is a member of several water- and engineering-related organizations and is vice president of the Agribusiness and Water Council of Arizona. He is running on a slate with three other candidates who are focusing on accountability and taxpayer issues.

“I am concerned for the future of our state,” he said. “The current status of our reservoirs has driven me to take action, especially knowing that my experience in the water industry could help our state to develop a measured response to this crisis.” He said CAP needs to address the cost and availability of electricity needed to run the system.

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Jim Pederson started his own retail development business and has worked with numerous community groups and civic organizations. He believes protecting Arizona’s water supply and its share of the Colorado River will require sustainable conservation measures and science-based solutions. He cites water recycling efforts in Israel, where 85 percent of water is reclaimed and reused.

Reclaimed water, he said on his website, “is a tremendous opportunity since thousands of acre feet of polluted water exist below ground. We have the technology today to treat this water.” He said the state should also strengthen its work recharging aquifers, storing water that isn’t immediately needed, and should consider new water transfer opportunities.

Karen Peters is a lawyer and a deputy city manager for Phoenix, with areas of responsibility including water services, sustainability, environmental programs and public works. She said the state’s quality of life and economic strength are at stake with the shortages on the Colorado River. She said the board needs to look at how water cutbacks could affect costs, water rates and system operations.

“CAWCD has a central role in finding and implementing solutions,” she said. “I’m stepping up to contribute — my experience and expertise in Arizona water, energy, and environmental issues, together with my track record of listening, asking the right questions, and building consensus are needed right now.“

Barbara Seago has worked as a software engineer for McDonnell Douglas/Boeing for more than 27 years. She earned an electrical engineering degree and has served on various community and civic organizations. During her time as president of her homeowners association, she helped keep dues from being raised. She is running with a slate of three other candidates who are focused on accountability and taxpayer protection issues.

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Daniel Cirignani Wood has worked as a supply chain professional and as a business analyst at Intel Corp. and taught full-time at Arizona State University's W.P. Carey School of Business. He has also worked in Israel, where he studied water management techniques that led to more efficient use of a limited supply and less loss to evaporation.

Plugging evaporative leaks could save the CAP 58.2 million gallons of water per day, he said, and converting farms to drip irrigation could save 700 billion gallons of water per year. “Arizona loses seven times more water to the air than it receives. If you do the math, stopping evaporative water loss alone has the best hope of reversing the drought,” he said. He also advocates for changes in the state’s water laws.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Central Arizona Project board election: Meet the 14 candidates running