By Andrew Oxford and Jen Fifield | Arizona Republic
One state lawmaker argues Maricopa County would be better off, or at least better represented, if the board overseeing the government of this sprawling county of millions included at least a few more members.
The Senate Government Committee on Monday unanimously backed a proposal to expand the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to nine members from five.
Senate Bill 1498 would also increase the size of the Pima County Board of Supervisors to seven members from five.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, argued that it is only sensible to increase the number of board members as Maricopa County has grown, ballooning the number of people each board member represents.
“Representation of a certain number of people is just really difficult. It’s good to spread it out,” he said. “In the case of Maricopa County, we have 900,000 people apiece. That’s more than a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and obviously we’re going to continue to grow.”
