The Fountain Hills Republican Club recently held a meeting featuring four guest speakers.

The first speaker was Michelle Ugenti-Rita who has represented the residents of Fountain Hills first as a state representative and later in the Arizona State Senate, according to a press release from FHRC spokesperson Chris Brant.

Brant says one of Ugenti-Rita’s main areas of focus is to offer and sponsor bills to “improve the integrity of elections.”

“This time around she is making the move to resent the local electorate on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors,” Brant said. “Michelle and others are concerned about the lack of leadership of the Supervisors over the publication of the Election Procedure Manual, created by the now Secretary of State (Adrian) Fontes.”

Ugenti-Rita reminded the audience that the former county supervisor once visited the community regularly but that has not been the case with the current supervisor, Brant said. If elected, Ugenti-Rita would regularly visit and brief the club on board policies and agendas, according to Brant, adding that she was “very passionate” in making her case to unseat the current Supervisor for District 2.

Jerry Sheridan, a candidate for Maricopa County Sheriff, also spoke and laid out the vast experience he has in police enforcement, Brant said.

Sheridan reminded those present of his former successes as a leader and that under the former leadership, “morale was low” and as a result, there are 150 vacancies for deputies being reported, according to Brant.

Sheridan discussed drug cartels and fentanyl, reporting that four people every day in the county are dying from the deadly drug, Brant said.

“With (Jerry’s) years of experience within the (department) it would make for a very smooth transition if he wins the election for the office in November,” commented Brant.

Sheridan despises the abuse of animals and added that the same abusers who perpetrated “these crimes” were often the same individuals who were responsible for the cruelty of children, Brant said, adding that Sheridan would take an active role in reviewing the Fountain Hills Sheriff’s Department contract.

The third guest speaker was Christy Kelly who is running for the Corporation Commission.

Kelly comes from a “strong family background,” says Brant, who graduated “top of her class” and received a free ride scholarship at ASU.

Brant said Kelly is proud of her military family who has three brothers who served in the military along with a nephew who is a career officer.

Kelly’s niece is the first black woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, according to Brant, adding that Kelly identifies as part of the #WalkAway movement as a former Democrat who became a Republican.

“She said, ‘I like to say I’ve always been conservative - I just didn’t know it. Black folks are naturally conservative, we were just brainwashed,’” Brant said.

Brant says Kelly has two law degrees and is a mediator and runs a nonprofit focusing on fathers’ rights.

Kelly pledged to focus on the threat of Arizona water scarcity, keeping rates low, avoiding reliance on renewable energy and keeping the state on the grid, Brant said.

The fourth speaker was Nancy Barto who provided a slide presentation entitled, “It Goes Too Far,” which discouraged the signing of petitions in regard to abortion.

“Although most minds will not be changed over the abortion issue the majority of the country and (that also the populations of other countries) believe 15-16 weeks is a reasonable amount of time to make the medical, emotional and personal decision whether to have an abortion,” added Brant.

“The petitions being circulated takes the most extreme measures allowing the latest of term abortions.”

Fountain Hills Republican Club meetings are held every third Saturday of the month at the Community Center at 9 a.m. The public is invited.