The Fountain Hills Republican (FHRC) recently heard from three keynote speakers who are running for public office.

Speakers included candidate for Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Stephen Neal Jr.; Kim George, candidate for the Arizona State House Legislative District 3; and Nick Meyers and Kevin Thompson, who are both running for reelection to the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Neal is an Arizona native who has over 35 years of experience in education. He is a candidate for Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2026, having served in roles as special education director, school counselor and adjunct professor.

According to FHRC spokesperson Chris Brant, Neal’s presentation focused on his proposed platform of empowering students to think critically, promoting quality education, fostering cultural unity and ensuring respect in learning environments.

Neal emphasized his support of at-risk youth and individuals with learning differences and expressed his concern that 50% of today’s Arizona students are not reading on grade level, said Brant.

Neal, citing a personal experience, also emphasized the importance of student driver safety. Years ago, his father was paralyzed after being run off the road while on the way to Flagstaff. He eventually overcame the hurdles of being handicapped and learned how to drive with his arms.

Kim George is running for the Arizona State House Legislative District 3 as the seat will open as Representative Alex Kolodin is running for Secretary of State.

George served as a federal law enforcement officer for 23 years. In 2019, she retired from the FBI and was employed as a corporate and global security investigator.

George’s presentation was on economic espionage and theft of international property, where she shared concerns over homeland security, drug trafficking and undocumented immigrants from across the world — particularly a recent major increase in single male Chinese individuals.

The last speakers were Kevin Thompson and Nick Myers who are both running for re-election to the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Thompson, a United States Air Force combat veteran, was elected chair of the commission in January 2025 and has over 25 years of utility, regulatory and public service experience, including serving as a twice-elected Mesa City Councilman. Myers was elected to the Commission in 2022 and is the first to hold this newly established position of vice chairman of the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Myers has a background in software engineering, entrepreneurship and regulatory advocacy following a significant dispute with a utility company. His first official act was to open a docket to modernize Arizona’s rate-making process. Myers also serves in various capacities in the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), including as co-vice chair of the subcommittee on Nuclear Energy and a member of the Committee on Gas and the Committee on Critical Infrastructure.

The Myers/Thompson team said rising energy demands from tech giants like Google and Amazon are driving a $100B investment by electrical equipment manufacturer Westinghouse to build 110 nuclear plants.

For more information about the Fountain Hills Republican Club, visit fountainhillsrepublicanclub.com or Facebook.com/FountainHillsRepublicanClub.